Saudi Arabia’s winter wonderland: deserts turn white as freak hailstorms ravage normally arid landscape
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Jawf region has been transformed into a winter wonderland after a freak hail storm turned the desert white.
In a press release on Saturday, the Saudi regime’s press agency said: ‘Since last Wednesday, heavy rains accompanied by large amounts of hail have occurred in several parts of the Al-Jawf region, and the land has been watered and the valleys have started flowing. which heralds an attractive spring season’.
Images and videos of the dreamy landscapes have surfaced on social media, showing how beads of ice covered large areas of the sandy desert, almost giving the impression of a snow-covered landscape.
Footage from the inside of a vehicle driving along the road shows the terrain looking almost unrecognizable as it is covered in a blanket of ice pellets the size of golf balls.
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Jawf region has been transformed into a winter wonderland after a freak hail storm turned the desert white
Images and videos show ice droplets – which almost look like snow – covering large areas of the sandy desert
The UAE’s National Center of Meteorology has attributed the latest hailstorms to a low-pressure system coming from the Arabian Sea
The Saudi Arabian Meteorological Center has issued severe weather warnings for the coming days, forecasting heavy rain, hailstorms and strong winds, as well as reduced visibility.
Meanwhile, the UAE National Center for Meteorology has attributed the latest hailstorms to a low-pressure system coming from the Arabian Sea.
As a result, thunder and hail storms have ripped through Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Although extremely rare in a country where temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees, Saudi Arabia has historically experienced snowfall and hail during the winter months.
In 2021, temperatures in Saudi Arabia dropped to -2 degrees Celsius, leading to a freak snowstorm in the country’s Aseer region, where mountains and deserts were covered in white, while camels were depicted surrounded by snow.
It was the first time in almost half a century since temperatures in the region fell below freezing.
The Saudi Arabian Meteorology Center has issued severe weather warnings for the coming days
Snow and ice are uncommon in desert areas
Although it may seem like a contradiction, while ice and ice are uncommon in hot desert areas, it is not completely unknown.
Temperatures in desert landscapes can drop dramatically at night, but snowfall usually melts early the next day.
In 2022, the Sahara Desert was left with mesmerizing snow patterns over the sand dunes after temperatures dropped below zero.
The Sahara Desert covers most of North Africa and has experienced shifts in temperature and moisture over the past hundred thousand years.
Although the Sahara is very dry today, it is expected to turn green again in about 15,000 years.
Temperatures in desert landscapes can drop dramatically at night, but snowfall is usually gone by the next day
In a press release on Saturday, the Saudi regime’s news agency said: ‘Since last Wednesday, heavy rains accompanied by large amounts of hail have occurred in several parts of the Al-Jawf region.