Freezing temperatures hit Saudi Arabia in worst cold wave since 2016
Image credit: Bodour Al.Shulail
Temperatures in Saudi Arabia dropped below freezing level this week as the worst cold wave since 2016 persists in parts of the country.
The capital city of Riyadh recorded frigid temperatures, leaving the streets almost empty on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 11 and 12.
In the Tarif region on the border with Jordan, the mercury hit -5 °C (23 °F); Hail registered -3 °C (26.6 °F), while it was -2 °C (28.4 °F) in Arar on the border with Iraq, as per the weather services.
According to Hassan Abdallah of the Wasm meteorological center, the country is experiencing its "most intense" cold wave since 2016. During that year, temperatures fell as low as -4 °C (25 °F) in Turaif while snow blanketed the deserts.
The Ministry of Meteorology and Environment warned its citizens to avoid isolated places and stay warm.
In the neighboring country of Iraq, residents are also shivering through cold while rare snowfall also covered the streets of Baghdad— an event last seen in 2008 and the second time in over 100 years.
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