Saudi Arabia cold wave: Rafha fountain freezes as temperatures plunge below zero

Cairo: A cold wave gripping several parts of Saudi Arabia has frozen a decorative fountain in Rafha, a governorate in the kingdom’s north-east. Photos taken early Tuesday show the fountain covered in ice and snow as temperatures plunged below zero.

Photographer Sultan Al Shammari, who captured the images at 8am, told Sabq news portal that the cold wave had peaked at that time. The severe drop in temperature, recorded at -2°C in Rafha, caused water to freeze in open areas and frost to form on trees and green spaces.

The Saudi National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) had earlier forecast a spell of cold to very cold weather across northern, central, and north-eastern regions starting Saturday. On Tuesday, temperatures in Turaif, located in the Northern Borders region, plummeted to -4°C, leading to frozen water surfaces and layers of snow on ponds and basins, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Turaif, known for its harsh winters, frequently experiences frost and snow due to polar air masses moving south from Europe.

Hussein Al Qahtani, spokesperson for the NCM, said the current cold wave is the strongest of the season and will continue until Thursday. "According to climate reports, Friday marks the last day of winter meteorologically," he told Al Ekhbariya television.

"The wave gripping the kingdom has significantly lowered temperatures, with some regions recording lows of -5°C," Al Qahtani added, noting that northern areas were the most affected.