Huge sandstorm sweeps Jeddah

Jeddah was hit by an unforeseen sandstorm on Tuesday afternoon. The city suddenly became enveloped in dust caused by strong winds, hampering visibility and bringing traffic to a halt on the Makkah-Madinah highway.
In fact, many motorists were forced to discontinue driving due to poor visibility, particularly in coastal areas.
“Temperatures peaked at 35 degrees celsius and humidity reached 80 percent, with low visibility of only up to one kilometer ahead,” said Naif Shalhoub, a weather forecaster at the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME). “The city also experienced strong winds of up to 55 kph.”
Shalhoub further said that the sandstorm would continue along the Red Sea coastal area into today in the Western Province, especially in Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah, thanks to low pressure winds from both the northern and the southern directions.
Shalhoub also said that temperatures would eventually drop once again.
The dust storm that hit Jeddah on Tuesday have, however, not impacted the aviation industry.
The PME also expects rain, thunderstorms and strong winds in Tabuk, the Northern Borders region, Al-Jouf, Hail, Madinah, Makkah, Al-Baha and Asir.