Torrential rains cause floods, disruption across Saudi Arabia

Torrential rains have spread across Saudi Arabia in recent days, causing floods across numerous areas of the kingdom.

Thunderstorms with rainfall ranging from medium to heavy levels are expected to continue in “most areas” across the kingdom, the country’s National Centre of Meteorology said on Tuesday.

The meteorology centre said this could cause “floods and raised dust… limiting the range of vision” for citizens.

🔴 بمشيئة الله، استمرار هطول #الأمطار الرعدية ⛈ من المتوسطة إلى الغزيرة على معظم مناطق #المملكة
ولمزيد من التفاصيل:https://t.co/8cuheV8B63#نحيطكم_بأجوائكم pic.twitter.com/3rUtm6arXg

— المركز الوطني للأرصاد (NCM) (@PmeMediacen) August 2, 2022

Such weather can be highly disruptive in the region as authorities across the Gulf often do not install heavy drainage systems due to the rarity of such weather.

صور جوية ل وادي الرمحية ب #رماح شمال #الرياض الان ظهر الاثنين ٣ محرم ١٤٤٤
عضو المجموعة محمد الطويل pic.twitter.com/sdXKixs2BE

— مجموعة مناخ الجزيرة (@ClimatJazeera) August 1, 2022

ياربّ والدنيا مطر بشرني بدعوات قلّبي🤍#الرياض_اليوم pic.twitter.com/TTjSbaXKSz

— حروف طائشه (@Raiuon26) July 31, 2022

“There is a chance of thunderstorms continuing in most regions of the kingdom from Wednesday to Sunday,” the centre said, urging citizens to pay attention to weather warnings.

They predicted medium to heavy rainfall in Jazan, Najran, Aseer, Al-Baha and Mecca from Wednesday to Sunday.

They also predicted medium rainfall predicted in the capital Riyadh, Al-Kaseem and Al-Sharkiya from Wednesday to Thursday.

The Saudi Civil Defense called for residents of the kingdom to be cautious ahead of the continued thunderstorms.

#الدفاع_المدني يدعو إلى توخي الحيطة والحذر لاحتمالية استمرار فرص هطول أمطار رعدية على بعض مناطق المملكة. pic.twitter.com/xkrzvTZ2Dr

— الدفاع المدني السعودي (@SaudiDCD) August 2, 2022

In 2019, flooding in the kingdom caused at least a dozen deaths, and dozens of injuries, as the weather forced schools to close.

Deadly floods in Jeddah in 2009 also killed hundreds of people and destroyed countless homes.

In the UAE, rain has been exacerbated by cloud seeding, a form of weather modification which authorities use to increase usually low and rare rainfall, AFP reported.

Saudi Arabia launched in April the first phase of a cloud seeding programme above the capital Riyadh, al-Qassim and Hail, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The New Arab contacted the Kingdom's National Centre of Meteorology for a comment on the extent to which - if at all - current weather conditions may have been affected by this.