Jeddah's record rainfall: Municipality on high alert and details of rainfall amounts
The Jeddah Governorate Municipality continues its intensive field efforts around the clock to deal with the effects of the exceptional rainfall that the governorate witnessed, as weather observatories recorded record amounts of rainfall that the city has not witnessed for a long time, which prompted the activation of maximum emergency plans to ensure the safety of residents and the smooth flow of traffic.
Record numbers in record time
Data from the National Center for Meteorology revealed remarkable rainfall figures, with Jeddah recording the highest precipitation in the Kingdom within a short period of no more than five hours. The King Abdullah Sports City (Al-Jawhara Stadium) station topped the list with 135 mm, followed by the Al-Basateen district station with 81 mm, and then the King Abdulaziz International Airport station with 51 mm. These figures reflect the intensity and severity of the weather system, placing the infrastructure's capacity under significant strain.
Large-scale field mobilization
As soon as the rain began, the Jeddah Municipality mobilized all its personnel and equipment, deploying field teams across 11 sub-municipalities and 15 support centers. The response plan included the participation of:
- 7,160 A member of the trained human resources staff.
- 1,621 Specialized equipment and machinery for water suction and road cleaning.
Efforts were focused on critical points and locations that witnessed water accumulations, with parallel work on operating and maintaining drainage networks and fixed and mobile pumps to ensure they operate with maximum efficiency.
Geographical context and the importance of infrastructure
These efforts are particularly important given Jeddah's geographical location as a coastal city, which presents ongoing challenges related to stormwater and runoff drainage. This rainfall underscores the importance of the infrastructure projects being implemented as part of the stormwater drainage program. The existing system, including channels and pumping stations, has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in handling large volumes of water, thus mitigating the impact of water accumulation in many neighborhoods and main thoroughfares compared to previous years.
Community cooperation and public safety
In a related context, the municipality commended the high level of awareness demonstrated by Jeddah residents through their cooperation with field teams and their adherence to instructions issued by the relevant authorities. The municipality stressed the importance of continuing to exercise caution, avoiding areas where water has accumulated, and refraining from touching lampposts or electrical sources in wet streets.
The Secretariat called on everyone to take the initiative to report any emergencies or observations related to water accumulations through the official approved channels, whether through the “Baladi” application on smartphones, or by directly contacting the unified reporting center 940, to ensure a rapid response and treatment.
