The National Center for Meteorology (NCM), Saudi Arabia’s central weather agency, had earlier predicted the possibility of light snowfall and frost formation in several areas of the Tabuk and Hail highlands, along with the northeastern parts of the Madinah highlands. Moreover, it said that scattered thunderstorms and rain were possible in the western and southwestern parts of the country.
In Riyadh, Eastern Province and Northern Borders regions, the NCM predicted moderate to heavy thunderstorms.
The agency’s official spokesperson, Hussein Al-Qahtani, said that the weather conditions in Saudi Arabia were driven by a cold air mass that entered the central and northern regions, according to Riyadh Daily.
Al-Qahtani suggested that temperatures would remain low, especially in northern areas.
Astronomer Mohammed bin Reddah Al Thaqafi suggested that snowfall during winters is a recurring phenomenon in parts of the Kingdom rather than an anomaly. He explained that northern regions in Saudi Arabia experience snowfall from time to time, through suggested that the timing is irregular and is mainly driven by changes in weather patterns, according to Gulf News.
As the meteorologists attribute it to the atmospheric conditions, the increasing incidents of such anomalies further raise questions about how climate change is reshaping weather patterns, especially in regions witnessing high temperatures.
