RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is facing a cold wave, with temperatures plummeting to sub-zero in parts of the northern regions of the Kingdom and the capital expecting 1 degrees Celsius over the weekend.
The early warning system of the National Center of Meteorology forecasted the freezing temperature drop to continue in the north.
In its daily forecast, the NCM on Tuesday said that the low temperatures will continue in most of the regions, along with fog and rain clouds, accompanied by active surface dusty wind, reducing the horizontal sight in some parts of the Madinah, Riyadh and Eastern regions. The chance of thunderstorms accompanied by active wind is high in some parts of the Jazan, Assir, Al-Baha and Makkah regions.
The NCM forecasted the cold wave to continue over the Northern region until the end of the week.
The NCM tweeted that the lowest temperature was recorded in the Turaif governorate. It recorded the lowest temperature since the beginning of winter this year with minus 6 degrees, followed by Al-Qurayyat governorate with minus 5, then Arar recording minus 4 degrees.
As snow blanketed the Turaif governorate, people ventured out to see the beautiful white blanket spreading over the vast plains and mountains, enjoying the icy breeze in heavy winter clothes.
Farhan Al-Anzi, the director of the National Center of Meteorology in Tabuk region, said: “We recorded sub-zero temperatures. The snowfall in the governorate will continue on Tuesday.”
Al-Anzi urged the region’s residents to be vigilant and follow the instructions of the authorities.
Located at the northern borders, the city of Turaif experiences the lowest temperature in winter across the Kingdom. Turaif has recorded the lowest temperatures of all Saudi cities, reaching minus 12 degrees Celsius.
Other major cities in the northern regions, such as Tabuk, Arar, Rafha and Shaqraa, have seen mercury drop below zero and witnessed heavy snowfall.
The forecast for Riyadh — which has recorded its lowest temperature of the season at 8 degrees on Tuesday — has predicted a drop to 3 degrees on Thursday and 1 degree on Friday.
