Dust storms reduce visibility in Makkah and Jeddah as NCM issues rain alerts across Kingdom

JEDDAH — The National Center for Meteorology (NCM) warned on Sunday of reduced horizontal visibility in the Makkah region due to dust storms, while also issuing orange and red alerts for rainfall across several regions of the Kingdom.According to the NCM, an orange-level warning was issued for the Makkah region, including Jeddah and Al-Shuaiba, from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Sunday. Weather conditions are expected to include active winds causing blowing dust, reduced horizontal visibility ranging between one and three kilometers, and high waves along coastal areas.The NCM’s official spokesperson, Hussain Al-Qahtani, also reported on his official X account that raised dust was affecting Jeddah Governorate, where horizontal visibility is expected to drop to below one kilometer as southerly winds reach speeds of up to 37 km/h.Alongside the dust alerts, the center issued several warnings for rainfall across different regions of the Kingdom, ranging from moderate to heavy precipitation accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds.A red alert was issued for the Hail region, where heavy rainfall is expected across several areas, including Hail, Al-Ha’it, Al-Sulaimi, Al-Shamli, Al-Ghazalah, and Mawqaq, from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sunday.Heavy rain is also expected in the Al-Jouf region, including Sakaka and Dumat Al-Jandal, with the warning in effect from 11 p.m. on Saturday until 8 p.m. on Sunday.The NCM also issued orange-level warnings for moderate rainfall in several other regions.In Tabuk, moderate rain is expected in Tayma beginning at 11 p.m. on Saturday and continuing until 11 a.m. on Sunday, before the rain teruns at noon and continues until 8 p.m. the same day.Moderate rainfall is also forecast for Hafar Al-Batin in the Eastern Province from noon until 11 p.m. on Sunday.In the Northern Borders region, including Arar and Al-Uwaiqilah, moderate rainfall is expected to continue from 11 p.m. on Saturday until 8 p.m. on Sunday.Weather conditions these areas may include strong winds, reduced visibility, hail, flash floods, and thunderstorm activity.The NCM urged residents in affected areas to remain cautious and to follow safety instructions issued by authorities as weather conditions continue to develop.