Extreme hailstorms turn Saudi desert into rare winter wonderland, Saudi Arabia
Extreme hailstorms and heavy rain have transformed parts of Saudi Arabia’s desert landscape into a winter-like scene over the past couple of days, with snow-like hail accumulation primarily affecting regions such as Al-Jawf, the Northern Borders, Riyadh, and Mecca.
Extreme hailstorms turn Saudi desert into winter wonderland, Saudi Arabia - November 3, 2024. Image credit: واس العام
- This unusual weather event began last Wednesday, October 30, 2024 and continued through the weekend, prompting weather warnings that extend through Monday, November 4.
- Meteorologists attribute the hailstorms to a low-pressure system from the Arabian Sea, which brought moisture-laden air to the region, resulting in severe thunderstorms, flooding, and significant temperature drops.
Saudi Arabia is experiencing an unusual bout of extreme hail storms and heavy rain, turning its typically arid landscapes into scenes resembling winter snowfall.
The Kingdom’s Directorate-General of Civil Defense (DGCD) and the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) have issued warnings, encouraging residents to take appropriate measures.
The most severe effects have been observed in Al-Jawf, the Northern Borders, Riyadh, and the Mecca region, with snow-like hail blanketing the hilly hills of Al-Jawf. The strange weather has also affected Asir, Tabuk, and Al Bahah sections.
The road between the cities of Hail and Rafah was also severely impacted by the hailstorm.
The hailstorms began last Wednesday and continued throughout the weekend, with meteorologists anticipating these extreme weather conditions to last until Monday, November 4. Weather alerts are still in effect, warning of further hail and thunderstorms in the coming days.
The hailstorms were accompanied by heavy thunderstorms, resulting in local interruptions, valley flooding, and a considerable temperature drop throughout the impacted areas.
The reason for these unusual hailstorms is a low-pressure system spreading from the Arabian Sea to Oman. This weather pattern has sent moisture-laden air to the generally dry region, resulting in thunderstorms, hail, and rain over Saudi Arabia and even in neighboring nations such as the UAE.
The extreme nature of the hailstorms, combined with heavy rains, has led to snow-like scenes, with some hailstones accumulating to cover roads and valleys.
The storms have also produced waterfalls, ice rivers and floods in the region, an unusual occurrence for the desert.
References:
1 Look: Snow blankets some parts of Saudi Arabia after heavy rains, hail – Khaleej Times – November 4, 2024
2 Video: Snow and hail blanket Saudi Arabia as heavy rains and thunderstorms continue – Gulf News – November 3, 2024
Harsha Borah is an experienced content writer with a proven track record in the industry. Harsha has worked with LitSpark Solutions and Whateveryourdose, honing skills in creating engaging content across various platforms. A gold medalist in a state-level writing competition organized by Assam Tourism, Harsha’s travelogue on Tezpur was widely appreciated. Harsha’s article, "The Dark Tale of the Only Judge in India to Be Hanged," ranks second on Google and has garnered over 11 000 views and 8 900 reads on Medium. Outside of writing, Harsha enjoys reading books and solving jigsaw puzzles.
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