Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia is witnessing an exceptional summer season with the continued rainfall, accompanied by showers of hail and active winds in several regions. The southwestern coastal city of Jazan recorded last Friday the highest amount of rainfall in a single day over the past 12 years, reaching 184 mm, breaking the record set in Jeddah in 2022 when it reached 182 mm.

This placed Jazan in the forefront of the cities of the Kingdom in terms of the heaviest amount of rainfall. The rains that fell on Jazan city contributed to the suspension of in-person classes of schools and other educational institutions for male and female students on Sunday, and classes were held remotely via the Madrasati platform.

The Jazan Region Mayoralty and its affiliated municipalities intensified their efforts to deal with the effects of the heavy rain conditions that the region is witnessing during the current period. It implemented an emergency plan with the participation of 26 emergency rooms, 981 human cadres, 610 equipment, 187 drainage tanks, 122 drainage pumps and 301 various equipment.

The mayoralty indicated that the emergency teams are working according to the drawn plan with high efficiency and rapid response around the clock, in addition to field follow-up to monitor water pools and deal with them during the rainy period, to withdraw water and suck it within the projects to ward off the dangers of floods and drain rainwater.

Hussein Al-Qahtani, spokesman for the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), said that the high amount of rain recorded in the city of Jazan provide significant indicators regarding the reality of the climatic conditions in the regions of the Kingdom, after the region witnessed heavy rains. Al-Qahtani said that rainfall continues in a number of regions, noting that this month is one of the rainiest months, especially in the highlands extending from Taif to Jazan.

Various regions in Saudi Arabia also witnessed varying amounts of rainfall during the past 24 hours, as Ghamika in Al-Laith governorate in the Makkah region recorded the highest rate of rainfall, reaching 23 mm, while Taif recorded 6.6 mm in Al-Shafa, 2.8 mm in Al-Atif, and 3.4 mm in Qia Center.

According to the daily report of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture on monitoring rainfall in all regions of the Kingdom, 45 hydrological and climatic monitoring stations recorded rainfall in the regions of Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah, Asir, Jazan, Najran, and Al-Baha during the period from 9:00 am on Saturday.

The report indicated that the Asir region recorded 18.8 mm in Dhahran Al-Janoub, 6.5 mm in North Al-Bashair in Balqarn, 5.5 mm in Haswa in Rijal Almaa, and 5.3 mm in Al-Ghaina in Abha. Madinah recorded 17.0 mm in Al-Mahd governorate, and 0.8 in Al-Hamna in Wadi Al-Fara, Najran recorded 7.9 mm in Badr Al-Janoub, 5.7 mm in Al-Okhdood, 5.2 mm in Al-Hadn, and 3.6 mm in each of Najran and Najran Airport.

The report showed that Barharh recorded 6.9 mm in Al-Mandaq in Al-Baha region, 6.0 mm in Al-Baha airport in Al-Aqiq, and 5.2 mm in Al-Makhwah, while Addaer in Jazan region recorded 5.6 mm, Al-Jabal Al-Aswad in Al-Raith recorded 4.3 mm, and Beesh recorded 2.6 mm, and the Riyadh region recorded 1.2 mm in Al-Rain governorate.

The heavy rains witnessed in Saudi Arabia coincided with the appearance of the Suhail star in the Arabian Peninsula. The appearance of the star represented the beginning of the countdown to summer.

The Civil Defense Directorate renewed its warnings to everyone to take precautions and be careful during rainfall. It urged stay in safe places and not risk crossing valleys when they are flowing, not approach water pools, follow the main paths and roads, and adhere to the instructions and guidelines announced through various media outlets and social media sites. It also called for seeking assistance in emergency cases.

Green vegetation cover beckons nature lovers

Residents and visitors in the highlands of Saudi Arabia enjoy the green vegetation caused by continuous rainfall in the summer season. Nature lovers, mountain climbers, trekkers, and enthusiasts of the wilderness expressed their excitement due to the rainy summer witnessed by the regions of Jazan, Al-Baha and Asir regions. They venture out to enjoy the natural beauty, in terms of the spread of flowers, green spaces, and grassy areas that covered all the mountainous regions and valleys. The moderate nice weather and green vegetation prompted residents and visitors to flock to the lush valleys and parks in the governorates and cities in these highlands.

The heavy seasonal rains in Al-Baha region increased the vegetation cover and green nature across its plains and mountains. This makes Al-Baha one of the regions in the Kingdom that contain areas of vegetation cover from local forests, dominated by perennial trees such as: juniper trees, acacia and olives, as well as aromatic plants such as basil, mint, kadi, basil, and baitharan, in addition to annual herbaceous plants that depend on the rainy season.