For the first time in recorded history, the Al-Jawf region of Saudi Arabia witnessed snowfall. In an almost mythical display of events, the desert saw snowfall followed by torrential rainfall and hail, and waterfalls appeared in the region.
Much to their surprise, the people of Al-Jawf awoke to their desert land that looked like a winter wonderland with a blanket of white snow covering the landscape around them.
Capturing the blend of sand and hail, these photos from the Ha’il-Rafha road, taken on Saturday afternoon in 2024.
📸Hamad Al-Saloom. pic.twitter.com/UaGwKmKVQ3
— Najdean Memoirs (@NajdiMemoirs) November 3, 2024
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the snowfall was the result of weather developments that brought heavy rains and revived the parched valleys.
The unexpected weather events attracted the attention of meteorologists, even as authorities issued warnings of heavy rain and thunderstorms. The National Center of Meteorology (NCM) of the United Arab Emirates said a low pressure system had formed over the Arabian Sea and extended as far as Oman. This brought with it moist air, leading to a drastic change in weather conditions.
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Meanwhile, the Saudi Meteorological Department has warned residents that such weather conditions will continue in the coming days, accompanied by more rainfall, hail, gales and thunderstorms. As a result, visibility may be affected with an impact on travel and residents have been advised to take appropriate precautions while the unusual weather persists.
Notably, Saudi Arabia is not the only country witnessing this sudden change in weather; The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also reported similar conditions, although there were no reports of snowfall.
