Heavy rain floods Jeddah for second time in weeks

Shared by Omar Mandia
Office of the Hajj Attaché, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Published in Middle East Eye by MEE staff
31 December 2022 15:20 UTC | Last update: 1 day 7 hours ago

Heavy rain, thunder and lightning have hit several regions across Saudi Arabia throughout Thursday and Friday, causing streets in Jeddah to flood for the second time in a matter of weeks as more heavy rain is expected in the coming days.

Footage shared online showed busy roads filled with water with many cars carefully cruising through. Other videos showed vehicles almost entirely submerged in water.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) raised the rain alert level in Jeddah late on Thursday and kept it in place until Friday morning.

The heavy rain forced Jeddah universities to postpone classes and flights at the King Abdulaziz International Airport to be delayed, as a combination of thunderstorms, wind and hail led to poor visibility.

Jeddah’s Basateen district recorded 54.2mm of rain, while the airport recorded 48mm, according to the NCM.

The city’s ambulance service also said they had raised their level of preparedness on Friday.

Residents of the holy city of Mecca were advised by authorities not to leave their homes for non-essential reasons while the alert was in place.

Social media users posted videos of the heavy downpour at the Grand Mosque as worshippers circled the Kaaba.