Flooding in Saudi Arabia closing several schools, blocking roads

In the central province of Qasim, one of the most hit at night, images show partially flooded vehicles after rain.

A resident of Buradijah, the province's capital, told AFP that the heavy rain fell continuously for seven hours, almost until midnight. He said that in front of his house there was a lot of water that they could not get out of, as well as loud thunders and many lightnings.

The National Meteorological Centre has issued red warnings about Qasim and other areas, especially about Eastern Provinca, the capital Riad, and the province of Medina, which is in front of the Red Sea.

Heavy rains are expected, accompanied by strong winds, low visibility, hail, and thunder, said the warning.

Schools in Eastern province and Riyadh are closed and classes are maintained online.

In Riyadh, the roads are slippery, but the traffic has not stopped.

Rain and floods are not rare in Saudi Arabia, especially in winter, and big cities like Jeddah often have water drain problems.

Floods in that city occur every year, and local residents regularly complain about the quality of infrastructure. 123 people died of floods in Jeddah in 2019 and 10 people in 2021.

Global warming is the most likely explanation for heavy rainfall, scientists from the Wordes Weather Attribution (WWA) announced last week.