Heat Is a Growing Threat to the Hajj—Even in Spring
Key takeaways
- Muslims are expected to perform Hajj at least once in their lives, but an increasingly perilous threat looms over the holy journey: heat.
- When the Hajj took place in mid-June during 2024, more than 1,300 people died, many succumbing to heat-related illnesses as temperatures topped 125 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity hit unusually high levels.
- However, a new analysis suggests that the window for heat-safe Hajj pilgrimages is dwindling as climate change ratchets up the temperature during historically cooler months.
Why this matters: environmental and climate reporting with long-term consequences.
June 2, 2026 Share This Article Republish More than 1.7 million people performed Hajj in 2026. Credit: Ali Atmaca/Anadolu via Getty Images Related An Unusually Early Heat Wave Breaks Temperature Records Across Western Europe Fire in the ‘Galapagos of North America’ Risks Species Found Nowhere Else An Unusual Heat Wave Strains the World’s Most Populous Country Share This Article Republish Most Popular EPA Rollbacks Could Raise AC, Refrigeration Costs Despite Promise of Lower Prices Scientists Outplant Experimental ‘Flonduran’ Corals in Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park The Okefenokee’s Bid for International Recognition More than 1.7 million people participated last week in the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia—consistently one of the world’s largest mass gatherings.
Muslims are expected to perform Hajj at least once in their lives, but an increasingly perilous threat looms over the holy journey: heat.
When the Hajj took place in mid-June during 2024, more than 1,300 people died, many succumbing to heat-related illnesses as temperatures topped 125 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity hit unusually high levels. The pilgrimage’s timing changes each year based on the Islamic lunar calendar, so this year—and the next roughly two decades—fall in cooler seasons, a slight relief for pilgrims and officials helping manage the pilgrimage.