Red alert: Dense fog covers Al-Jawf and the northern borders; Saturday's weather

On Saturday morning, the northern regions of Saudi Arabia witnessed a wave of dense fog that led to a significant decrease in horizontal visibility, prompting urgent intervention from the competent authorities to issue the necessary warnings to citizens, residents, and highway users.

Details of the red alert from the weather service

The National Center for Meteorology issued a red alert, the highest level of warning on its early warning scale, cautioning against the prevailing weather conditions in the Al-Jawf and Northern Borders regions. The center explained in its report that these weather conditions began in the early morning hours and continued until 10:00 AM, accompanied by near-zero horizontal visibility. Visibility in some areas ranged from only 1 to 3 kilometers, while in others it was almost nonexistent, posing a serious risk to traffic.

The climatic context and nature of winter in the north

This weather phenomenon occurs during the current winter season in the Kingdom, where northern regions such as Al-Jawf and the Northern Borders are characterized by a geographical and climatic environment that makes them more prone to radiation fog formation during the late night and early morning hours. This typically results from a significant drop in minimum temperatures and the presence of high relative humidity, coupled with calm winds, leading to the condensation of water vapor near the Earth's surface.

Fog is a common weather phenomenon in these regions during this time of year, but its density today prompted an increased state of alert, given its direct impact on international roads linking the Kingdom with its northern neighbors, as well as highways between cities.

Safety guidelines and other weather effects

In these conditions, it is always advisable to follow traffic safety guidelines, such as using fog lights, avoiding the use of high beams that scatter vision, leaving a sufficient safety distance between vehicles, and reducing speed to suit the road conditions.

Meanwhile, the weather fluctuations were not limited to the north. The National Center for Meteorology warned of continued cold weather and fog in parts of northern and central Saudi Arabia. Conversely, other regions are experiencing different conditions, with active winds stirring up dust and sand, reducing horizontal visibility in parts of the Eastern Province. This extends to parts of Tabuk, Madinah, and Makkah, particularly their coastal areas, necessitating caution for those with respiratory conditions and those traveling on highways.