The National Center for Meteorology in Saudi Arabia issued conditions across large parts of the Kingdom, ranging from light to dense. The center explained in its report that this weather pattern will persist from the early morning hours until 8:00 AM, urging drivers and highway users to exercise caution.
Weather details and its effects
The report indicated that the main impact of this weather condition is reduced horizontal visibility. In areas experiencing light fog, visibility ranges between 3 and 5 kilometers, while the center warned of near-total lack of horizontal visibility in areas of dense fog, where visibility may fall below one kilometer. These warnings are issued as part of the relevant authorities' commitment to the safety of citizens and residents, especially during morning commutes to work and school.
Areas and cities affected by fog
The alert covered 8 main areas, where the fog was distributed as follows:
- Makkah Region: Includes Al-Khurmah, Al-Muwayh, Turbah, Ranyah, in addition to high and tourist areas such as Al-Shafa, Al-Hada, and Maysan.
- Medina: The situation is concentrated in the governorates of Al-Hanakiya and Al-Mahd.
- Tabuk region: Tayma governorate is affected by this foggy wave.
- Hail region: It includes a wide area encompassing the city of Hail, Al-Hait, Al-Sulaimi, Al-Shamli, Al-Shanan, Al-Ghazala, Al-Kahfa, Al-Mustajda, Baqaa, Samira, Ghazlana, and Muwaqq.
- Al-Qassim region: The situation covers most of the region’s governorates, including Buraidah, Unaizah, Ar-Rass, Al-Bukayriyah, Al-Mudhnib, and many other centers such as Uqlat as-Suqur and Riyadh Al-Khabra.
- Al-Baha region: includes Al-Baha city, Al-Qura, Al-Mandaq, Baljurashi, and Bani Hassan.
- Asir region: The highlands and major cities such as Abha, Khamis Mushait, Al Namas, Tanomah, and Sarat Abidah are affected.
- Jazan region: It includes mountainous and border governorates such as Fifa, Haroub, Al-Ardah, and Al-Dayer.
The importance of early warnings and road safety
These warnings are of paramount importance given the Kingdom's topography, where fog is particularly dense in mountainous and highland regions such as Asir, Al-Baha, and Taif, posing a significant challenge to traffic. Security and traffic authorities consistently urge drivers to adhere to speed limits, use fog lights, and maintain a safe following distance to prevent accidents in such conditions.
The National Center for Meteorology is the official body authorized to monitor weather phenomena and issue early warnings, which effectively contributes to raising the readiness of government and service sectors to deal with any emergency that may result from weather fluctuations, and it is an essential part of the public safety system in the Kingdom.
