SAKAKA, Saudi Arabia – A rural area in northern Saudi Arabia was blanketed by hailstones, giving the desert landscape a rare layer of white and resembling a winter wonderland.
Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology reported that the weather event occurred on November 2 in the Al-Jouf region near the Jordanian border.
Photos from the desert showed the ground covered in ice, with vehicles and even camels having to venture through the frozen precipitation.
According to the country’s National Weather Service, most precipitation in the region occurs between October and May, readying the area for the spring growing season.
“The Al-Jouf region is known for its seasonal spring wildflowers, including lavender, daisies and a variety of aromatic plants,” the Saudi Press Agency said in a statement.
At least 1,300 religious pilgrims killed by heat wave in Saudi Arabia
According to nearby observation data, temperatures likely peaked in the 70s and 80s on the day the hailstorm occurred, ruling out snowfall.
There was no reported damage from the thunderstorms, but meteorologists warned of the possibility of flooding.
Some people seemed to have mistakenly called the hailstones snow, which typically only occurs during the winter months.
Hail is believed to be more common in the northern and western parts of the country due to the available cooler air aloft.
Hail forms when strong upward wind gusts, which typically occur at the core of thunderstorms, carry raindrops upward. These winds push the raindrops to the colder, higher parts of the storm, where they freeze into hailstones.
As the hail begins to fall, they collect additional raindrops on their way through the atmosphere. When they encounter additional updrafts, the hailstones are blown back into the clouds, where additional layers of water freeze.
Floods in Dubai prompt ‘stay at home’ orders after city receives two years of rain in one day
Hail covered the ground in northern Saudi Arabia on November 2, 2024.
The nearby mountain Jabal Al-Lawz, located in the northwestern part of Saudi Arabia, has an elevation of 2,460 meters and supports occasional snowfall.
Forecasters say snow can be seen from December through February, but because of the terrain, snow melts relatively quickly.
The kingdom is said to be building a state-of-the-art ski resort in the Tabuk Mountains, which will rely on man-made snowfall during the colder months.
Original article source: Photos: Hail covers the Saudi Arabian desert, creating a winter-like landscape
