More rainfall expected in several parts of the Kingdom

JEDDAH: Jeddah city woke up today to a cloudy gray sky and light breeze; the kind of weather that precedes rainfall. The Jeddah-based Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) told Arab News that there are chances of having scattered rain and drizzle in the city. The PME said they would issue a warning if needed. “If there’s any aerial phenomenon that’s worth issuing a warning about, we’ll surely make the needed announcement,” Hussein Al-Qahtani, PME’s official spokesperson said Wednesday in a phone interview.
Several regions in Saudi Arabia have been affected by regional weather changes.
The most affected areas are Asir, where an individual was reported dead by the Civil Defense and around 10 others were injured. Asir has also halted study and schools have closed following rainstorms.
Al-Qahtani said that Asir and the Eastern Province are expected to continue witnessing heavy rainfall until Friday. Following Friday, drizzle and light rainfall are predicted. Riyadh and Al-Baha will also continue to have light rains.
“Different areas around the Kingdom are still affected as this is the rain season and there are still chances for having cumulus clouds and more rain in the coming days,” he said.
The PME follows a “national plan” that is agreed upon by the authorities to pass weather information and warnings on any changes to 16 governmental entities in charge of fieldwork responding to aerial phenomena, according to Al-Qahtani. These include the Ministry of Education to issue orders to halt study, the Civil Defense and Traffic Departments.
The presidency also gets in touch with people via social media and SMS.