Saudi Arabia said Tuesday pilgrims can expect average high temperatures of 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) during the hajj, which last year saw thousands of cases of heat stress. “The expected climate for hajj this year will witness an increase in average temperatures of one and a half to two degrees above normal in Mecca and Medina,” national meteorology centre chief Ayman Ghulam told a press conference. The forecast indicates “relative humidity 25 percent, rain rates close to zero, average maximum temperature 44 degrees”, he said. The hajj, which begins on June 14, is one of the …