The National Center for Meteorology in Saudi Arabia announced its weather for today, warning of continued weather fluctuations and varying intensities of thunderstorms across seven major regions. These forecasts are part of the center's ongoing monitoring to ensure the safety of citizens and residents.
Weather details and affected areas
The National Center for Meteorology's report indicated that Monday's weather will see continued thunderstorms ranging from moderate to heavy, potentially leading to flash floods in valleys and ravines. This weather system, accompanied by hail, is concentrated over parts of the Najran, Asir, and Jazan regions. Meanwhile, light to moderate rain is expected in parts of the Al-Baha, Makkah, Riyadh, and Eastern Province regions.
The report also noted the continued impact of active winds stirring up dust and sand, which limit horizontal visibility, on parts of those areas, in addition to parts of the Northern Borders and Al-Jawf regions, and the northern and central part of the Red Sea coast.
Maritime navigation situation: Red Sea and Arabian Gulf
Regarding maritime navigation, the center indicated that surface winds on the Red Sea will be northwesterly to northerly at speeds ranging from 25 to 47 km/h in the northern and central parts, and from 15 to 30 km/h in the southern part. Wave heights will range from one to two and a half meters in the north and central regions, and from half a meter to one and a half meters in the south, resulting in sea conditions that are moderate to rough in the north and central regions, and slight to moderate in the south.
In the Arabian Gulf, surface winds will be northwesterly to northerly at a speed of 15 to 30 km/h, with wave heights ranging from half a meter to one and a half meters, and the sea state will be slight to moderate.
Weather forecast until the end of the week
Forecasts indicate that thunderstorms of varying intensity will continue across wide areas of the Kingdom until next Friday. This weather pattern will be accompanied by several weather phenomena, including dust storms and hail. In particular, the Eastern Province (including Dammam, Khobar, Qatif, Ras Tanura, Abqaiq, Al-Ahsa, Nairyah, Hafr Al-Batin, and Khafji) is expected to experience light to moderate rain on Wednesday and Thursday.
General context and climate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Historically, Saudi Arabia has a predominantly arid desert climate, but its geography plays a crucial role in weather variation. The southwestern regions, such as Asir, Jazan, and Al-Baha, are mountainous, making them susceptible to heavy seasonal rainfall due to the influence of moist winds from the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. The transitional periods between seasons in the central and eastern regions typically witness sharp weather fluctuations, including thunderstorms and dust storms—a common and well-documented climatic pattern in the Kingdom's climate records.
The importance of the event and its expected impact
Locally, these rains are of paramount importance; they directly contribute to replenishing groundwater and raising water levels in dams, thus supporting the agricultural sector and enhancing vegetation cover. However, the heavy rainfall and resulting flash floods necessitate the utmost caution to avoid risks to infrastructure and road safety.
Regionally, the weather systems of the Arabian Peninsula are interconnected, with the effects of these rain events and sometimes strong winds extending to neighboring Gulf countries. Internationally, the increasing frequency of extreme weather events highlights global climate change, prompting the Kingdom to launch ambitious environmental initiatives such as the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to combat desertification, reduce carbon emissions, improve quality of life, and adapt to future climate changes.
