Saudi Arabian deserts receive an early Christmas gift: Snowfall
Twitter reacts in joy and concern after the unexpected snowfall in the central and northwestern regions of Saudi Arabia.
If you land in Saudi Arabia right now, be prepared to make a snowman instead of embarking on a desert safari!
The deserts of Saudi Arabia were covered in layers of snow on Wednesday after temperatures dropped to as low as -3 degrees Celsius in the northern regions of the country. The region usually receives moderate rainfall until October, though the showers have continued to prevail.
Since it is not every winter that this desert experiences snowfall, Saudis made the most of this rare opportunity to have some fun.
Professor Abdallah al-Musanad, professor of climate science at Qassim University, told Alarabiya.net that this is the second rainfall this season, even though 40 days have passed since the rain season ended.
Last year, 18 people were killed in Saudi Arabia because of floods in the month of April.
Municipalities in the eastern cities of Dammam, Dhahran, Khobar and Qatif are expected to use drainage stations and tanks to collect rain and keep the streets dry to tackle the unexpected weather change.
But for now, people in Saudi are taking pleasure in the sudden weather change.
Sheikhs Snowboarding:
While social media also showed concerns on the red flag of this rare event: climate change and global warming!