Cold wave to hit 7 Saudi provinces

JEDDAH — The General Authority for Meteorology and Environmental Protection has forecast a drop in temperatures in seven provinces of the Kingdom in coming days. Ayman Ghulam, vice president of the authority, said meteorologists also expect shallow winds with a speed of 50 km per hour in the province of Makkah, Madinah, Qassim, Hail, Jouf, Northern Borders and Tabuk. “Strong winds will kick up dust and may obstruct horizontal view. The authority also forecast cloudy to nearly cloudy skies in most regions of the Kingdom. There might also be fog in some areas of the Kingdom in the northern borders and southwestern heights during the early morning and at night,” said Ghulam. He said Jeddah received light rain in all districts on Friday. “There were no accidents or injuries related to the rain," he said. King Abdulaziz International Airport Public Relations spokesman Turki Al-Dheeb said flight schedules were not affected by the rain on Friday. “The airport handles 600 arriving and departing flights a day. All passengers arrived at the airport safely and there was no rescheduling of flights due to the weather. Arriving passengers were welcomed with chocolates and roses in celebration of the spring holidays,” said Al-Dheeb. Other cities and nearby villages in the province including Rabigh and Makkah received rain on Friday. The coastal areas of Madinah province such as Al-Far’ Valley, Al-Misaijid Valley, Alab Valley and Al-Shaffiyah Valley, also received rain, said Ghulam. He said the weather forecasters predicted snowfall in Qurayyat and Turaif in Al-Jouf province. Riyadh and the Eastern Province are likely to witness heavy sandstorms during the next few days. "The skies will be nearly cloudy in northern and eastern parts of the Kingdom as well as the southern heights,” said Ghulam. He added the Ministry of Health reported it has emergency plans in place in case of any accidents or injuries.