Saudi Arabia: astonishing images of the desert covered in hail

The meteorological phenomenon is something to amaze. The desert of northern Saudi Arabia has been covered in white in recent days, as reported by the Arabia Weather site. (new window)a private meteorological company. The Al-Jawf region, in the north of the country, experienced hailstorms (new window) important last week.

In its November 7 bulletin, the Saudi Meteorological Center indicated (new window) to expect “the continuation of stormy rains accompanied by active dusty winds and hailstorms in parts of the regions of Hail, Tabouk, Al-Jawf and the northern borders”. Selon Arabia Weather, “This unusual weather is due to the instability of the region's atmosphere, where the combination of humidity and extreme heat has led to the appearance of these unusual weather phenomena”.

Locals and tourists were quick to get out of their cars, taking photos and videos of the temporarily white-carpeted desert. Some were published on the social network X.

Rivers that start to flow again

Following this weather event, the Al-Jawf region witnessed drastic changes in its landscapes, Arabia Weather reports: dry rivers and streams began to flow again.

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Weather phenomena such as hail or even snow are not extremely rare, even in a country with a desert climate almost everywhere where temperatures can exceed 40 degrees in the shade. It is possible to go sledding in winter in some parts of the country. Snowfalls are regularly reported by the Saudi media, because of their apparently unusual nature and because they lead to the broadcast of surprising images, the flakes settling in particular in desert areas.