April sets rain record in Saudi Arabia
Kingdom experienced 31.81 mm, the highest in 40 years
Cairo: Last month sets a record in average rainfall in Saudi Arabia with 31.81 mm the highest in 40 years, government figures have shown.
In April last year, the average rainfall in the kingdom was estimated at 9.2 mm.
The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has said in a report about rainfall last month that the highest number of rainfall measurements on a single day were recorded on April 25 with 137 measurements.
The highest rainfall measurement was recorded on the 14th of the month in the kingdom’s southern region of Asir amounting to 79 mm.
During April, Saudi Arabia experienced a total of 26 rainy days covering most regions.
The rain waters supplied to 146 dams in the kingdom amounted to 118 million cubic metres in April, against 12.2 million cubic metres during the same month last year, the report said, according to the Saudi news agency SPA.
Dams in Asir got the lion’s share of floodwaters resulting from rainfall in April with 28.5 million cubic metres.
In winter months, several areas in Saudi Arabia witnessed heavy rains that prompted authorities to suspend classes and shift to online learning. Some areas were blanketed in white due to hail showers.
Last month, municipal authorities in the holy city of Mecca urged locals and visitors of the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site, to constantly follow up weather forecasts and heed official alerts on rainfall.
People were advised against running the risk of moving through flash floods and to keep distance from trees and billboards that could tumble due to strong winds.