Rainfall in Umluj

Heavy rain and wind forecast for large parts of the Kingdom this weekend would be typical of the volatile autumn weather likely to affect the country until Dec. 21, the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment warned Thursday.

Hussein Al-Qahtani, spokesman of the PME, said over the next few days there would likely be thunderstorms and medium to heavy rain, accompanied by strong winds and dust, which would reduce visibility on the roads and highways.

This includes the Asir highlands, Jazan, Al-Baha, Makkah, Tabuk, Madinah, Hail, Al-Jouf and the Northern Borders extending to the northern parts of Riyadh and Hafr Al-Batin,” he said.

“Temperatures will begin to fall in the northwest of the Kingdom, with a chance of early morning fog on the coastal parts of the Eastern Province,” he was quoted as saying by a local publication on Thursday.

Al-Qahtani said that the PME has issued an alert there could be flash floods in some of the Kingdom’s valleys, and that members of the public should be extra vigilant.

He said the country has experienced significant fluctuations since Sept. 23, which has been the case in autumn for several years. Medium to heavy rain has been falling over many parts of the Kingdom, he said.

Judging from the weather over the past five years, this volatility would result in dangerous conditions, threaten human life and damage roads and other infrastructure, he said.

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