A bizarre freak weather phenomenon has struck the Middle East, unleashing heavy snowfall, extreme floods and “apocalyptic” dust storms. The mysterious and extreme weather has caused bizarre ‘ice floods’ to sweep across deserts in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. The freezing plunge in temperatures has perplexed meteorologists in a region that is typically basking in scorching sunshine at this time of year. Last week, several parts of Tunisia were hit by snow and torrential rainfall, causing fatalities.
Floods and colder temperatures were felt throughout the Levant, as rain led to severe flooding in Riyadh, and hail, thunderstorms, and flash floods struck the UAE.
At the same time, nearly one hundred villages have been evacuated in Iran due to an extreme rainfall deluge and subsequent flash floods… And now the country is facing its worst locust invasion in 40 years.
Large parts of Saudi Arabia have been submerged in snowfall, sparking wonder among local residents and concern among scientists.
— Turki (@Turki__2020) March 31, 2019
أجمل صباح والثلج يكسو الأرض pic.twitter.com/YnQJRldCw2
— Turki (@Turki__2020) April 1, 2019
ثلوج اللوز اليوم الثلاثاء ١٤٤٠/٦/٢٨
— Turki (@Turki__2020) March 5, 2019
تصويري، pic.twitter.com/oXI0ZgHBXF
At one point, a hailstorm in Saudi Arabia became so severe that it triggered an icy flash flood.
شاهد ?
— طقس العرب – السعودية (@ArabiaWeatherSA) April 5, 2019
لحظة تساقط البرد على شمال #الرياض 100كيلو طريق #القصيم السريع
لمصدر: @abunaayf12345
دائماً معكم في رصد الحدث، ونقل الحالة الجوية أولاً بأول?@ArabiaWeatherSA#يوم_الجمعه pic.twitter.com/Hg2ZOMtlCL
شاهد ?
— طقس العرب – السعودية (@ArabiaWeatherSA) April 5, 2019
شاهد تساقط كثيف للبرد في الخاتله شمال #الرياض الان
المصدر: @Om_SeaGateWeath
دائماً معكم في رصد الحدث، ونقل الحالة الجوية أولاً بأول?@ArabiaWeatherSA #أمطار_الرياض pic.twitter.com/2nlAdUT8L0
One user on Twitter described a dangerous dust storm this week as “apocalyptic”.
Dr. Ahmad Habib, a meteorological expert at the National Center of Meteorology in the UAE, said: “It’s usually warmer in April. This isn’t familiar weather in this period. It’s a period of instability for all the region.“
Dr. Karim Bergaoui, a climate and water-modeling scientist in Dubai, added: “This April was exceptional in many countries, like the snow that hit Tunisia. We feel it’s exceptional because the last three years have been three successive dry years in North Africa.“
Dr. Taoufik Ksiksi, associate professor of biology at UAE University, added:
“The weather is unusual in North Africa and West Asia. Such extreme weather events, whether it’s very intense snow or rain, are out of season.“
Pure weather chaos!
