JEDDAH — Several Saudi regions, including Makkah and Madinah, experienced moderate to heavy rain on Thursday. Rainfall was recorded in nine Saudi regions, with the Jamiah district of the Jeddah city in the Makkah region recorded the highest amount at 24.8 mm rain. The National Center of Meteorology (NCM) has warned that most regions of the Kingdom will continue to be affected by rain in varying intensities until next Sunday. This will be accompanied by downdrafts that will raise dust and sand, with speeds reaching 60 km/h. It will also bring flash floods and high waves on the coasts, as well as heavy hail in the highlands. The center explained that the Makkah and Madinah regions, including their coasts and highlands, will experience moderate to heavy rains. It added that the situation will also affect the central and eastern regions, with the Eastern Province, Qassim, and most parts of Riyadh experiencing moderate to extremely heavy rainfall. The center indicated that the regions of Al-Baha, Asir, Najran, and Jazan will also be affected by moderate to heavy rainfall, with the possibility of hail and flash floods in some areas. The NCM urged everyone to exercise caution, avoid floodwaters and valleys, and follow safety instructions issued by the relevant authorities. It called on the people to follow its periodic reports on its official platforms for updates on the rain situation and the affected areas, stressing the importance of adhering to the directives of the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of lives and property. Moderate to heavy rainfall is experienced in many parts of Makkah region, including the cities of Makkah and Jeddah. The first day of the last 10 days of Ramadan was an exciting experience for Umrah pilgrims and worshipers as the Grand Mosque received moderate rain on Thursday morning. The faithful expressed their overwhelming joy of experiencing the rare combination of the showers of rain with the blessings of the sacred month of Ramadan at Islam's holiest shrine in pleasant morning hours on Thursday. Many of them documented these moments of faith, filled with a wonderful atmosphere, with their mobile phones. Photos and videos quickly spread across social media platforms. Amidst rain, pilgrims performed their Umrah rituals in ease and comfort, thanks to the comprehensive and foolproof services provided by the General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque. These services included advanced equipment, human resources, and machinery working day and night to ensure the comfort of the guests of God. Heavy rains accompanied by hail experienced several areas of the Jeddah governorate on Thursday. The Jeddah Mayoralty announced that it has activated field plans by deploying teams and equipment, raising the level of preparedness, and coordinating with relevant authorities in preparation for the rainy conditions. It was noteworthy that the National Center of Meteorology had issued a red alert, warning that heavy rains are expected to continue until 11 p.m. on Thursday, accompanied by strong winds, poor visibility, hail, flash floods, and thunderstorms in several governorates of the Makkah and Madinah regions. The General Directorate of Civil Defense called for caution and the need to remain in safe areas, avoid flooding areas and valleys, and refrain from swimming in them. It also urged adherence to instructions announced through various media outlets and social media. The Saudi Red Crescent Authority in the Makkah region also announced the raising of its maximum readiness in conjunction with the warnings. The authority affirmed the full readiness of the command and control room, all emergency centers in the region, special response teams, and volunteer ambulance teams in all governorates affected by the heavy weather conditions. It also raised readiness in 99 centers in the Makkah region, with deploying their staff of doctors, specialists, and emergency medicine ambulance technicians.
