RIYADH —A severe dust storm is sweeping the northern and eastern parts of Riyadh, causing disruption of life in the capital.
The sand storm cloaked the city in dust as visibility decreased to less than 1 km, Al-Riyadh online said.
Meanwhile, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced the postponement and diversion of some arriving and departing flights from King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh due to the bad weather.
Yusuf Al-Abdan, director of KKIA, said the flights at the airport have returned to normal while issuing the warning on bad weather being still in force until late Saturday.
Al-Abdan called on travelers to keep in contact with their airlines to inquire about their flights and their status.
Through his Twitter account, Abdulrahman Al-Fahd, assistant director general of Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA), said the arriving flights from Rafha, Colombo and Cairo destined for Riyadh have been diverted to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam due to the bad weather.
In its weather report for Saturday, the Presidency of Meteorology and the Environment (PME) said horizontal visibility will be affected by dust storms in Riyadh region extending up to the southwestern and western regions of the Kingdom.
The PME said that there are chances for thunder showers in Riyadh region.