Saudi Coastal City Flooded, At Least Two Killed

By Staff, Agencies

The heavy rain that hit Jeddah was the highest ever recorded rainfall in the coastal city, the spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology [NCM] Hussein al-Qahtani said on Friday.

The rain on Thursday lasted for about eight hours – from 08:00 to 17:00 - and amounted to 179.7 millimeter of water, according to the center’s monitoring stations.

The highest level of rainfall in Jeddah was previously recorded in 2009, when NCM recorded 111 mm of rain.

At least two people died, dozens of flights were delayed, and schools were forced to shut as Saudi Arabia braced for the storm.

Videos circulating on social media showed the flooded streets of Jeddah and other areas in the Kingdom as people drove to safety.

Police officers and emergency services were dispatched around the city to help motorists on the road, according to the Mecca Region’s official Twitter account.

Authorities urged the public to refrain from driving unless absolutely necessary and to take precautions.

Rainfall is expected to continue Friday morning before waning off, according to the NCM.