Saudi Arabia's weather advisory warns of continuous heavy rain, flooding in Makkah

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The General Directorate of Civil Defence today advised members of the public to be careful and to take precautionary measures following the warning of continuous heavy rain for 5 days, in addition to thunderstorms accompanied by hailstones and flash floods in most regions of the country, starting from today (Friday) till Tuesday next week.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA), quoting the directorate's statement, reported that Makkah will also be affected by the phenomenon.

According to SPA, strong dusty winds are also predicted to occur in several places including the Masyair area in Makkah and Madinah in addition to Taif, Maysan, Adham, Al-Khurma, Al-Ardiyat and some nearby areas in the northern border region.

The directorate explained that moderate to heavy rain and strong dusty winds will hit the regions of Riyadh, Afif, Dawadmi, Al-Quwaiyah, Al-Majma'a, Al-Zulfi, Al-Ghat and Ramah.

"We advise the public, including Haj and Umrah pilgrims, to exercise care during the phenomenon of heavy rain and stay away from the location of accumulated rainwater to avoid unforeseen incidents", said the directorate. - BERNAMA