Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH – Due to expected inclement weather conditions on Tuesday, education administrations in several regions and governorates of the Kingdom have announced that schools and universities will remain closed tomorrow (Tuesday), Saudi Press Agency reported Monday night. Classes will be suspended in Yanbu governorate schools, according to Dr. Muhammad Bin Abdullah Al-Oqaibi, director of education in Yanbu governorate. Taif Health Department has raised the readiness level of all health facilities. Other education facilities that have suspended classes and lectures Tuesday include the universities of Taif, Umm Al-Qura in Makkah, Jeddah and all their branches; as well as schools in Makkah, Taif, Al-Leeth, Jeddah, Khulais, and Rabigh governorates, among others. Meanwhile, rain lashed the governorates and rural centers of Dhiba on Monday. Light to heavy rain has lashed Al-Wajh governorate Monday. Heavy rains likely to lash Jeddah and Makkah tomorrow Heavy rains are expected in Jeddah and Makkah early Tuesday and may continue until Thursday, according to the General Authority of Meteorology and Environment Protection. Spokesman of the authority, Nawwaf Al-Sharif, said all the ministries and government departments, particularly the municipality and the ministry of education, have been informed about the expected rains so as to take their necessary arrangements regarding drying up of streets and suspension of schools in the Western Region. He expected the rains to be between medium and heavy and said they will cover wide areas in the Western Region, the coastal areas in Tabuk, Makkah, Jeddah, Madinah, Rabigh, Yanbu, Omluj, Laith and other cities. The spokesman said the rains will be followed by a temperature drop in the northern, western and central parts of the Kingdom. The Border Guard has warned picnickers, seagoers, fishermen and lovers of sea voyages not to go to the sea during these days of rain and weather fluctuations. The Civil Defense in Makkah held a meeting on Sunday with all concerned departments to assess their readiness to ward off any risks that might be caused by the rains. It asked the citizens and expatriates to be cautious and to stay away from valley passes and areas with water logs. Prince Kahled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, and Prince Abdullah Bin Bandar, deputy emir, have instructed Civil Defense personnel to get ready to deal with the rainy season, according to Col. Saeed Sarhan, spokesperson of Civil Defense in Makkah. The department of health affairs in Jeddah has asked all hospitals to be ready for any emergency cases resulting from the rains. It asked them to prepare emergency teams to deal with any hazards that might be caused by the rains. The hospitals, on their part, have made arrangements to make emergency wards and the ICUs ready for any risks, mobilized blood units and alerted ambulances to be ready to move to any area in the city requiring immediate medical intervention. The Jeddah municipality, on its part, has deployed about 1,600 workers armed with 512 equipment to work in day and night shifts so as to dry the rainwater and keep the streets clean. There are 14 branch municipalities in Jeddah which have all braced up for the rains. — With input from Irfan Mohammed