Heavy rain, with thunderstorms, lashed in Al-Qassim, Eastern Province, Riyadh, and Madinah regions of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and Wednesday

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's Al-Qassim, Eastern Province, Riyadh, and Madinah regions had intense rain and thunderstorms. In the Al-Qassim region, flash floods flooded underpasses and roadways, submerging numerous automobiles in the floodwaters. Classes held in person were halted in the Eastern Province and in Riyadh. The regions of Al-Qassim, Eastern Province, Riyadh, and Madinah were placed on a "red alert" by the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) due to heavy rain, strong winds, low visibility, hail, torrents, and lightning.

Tunnels, bridges, and important streets had to be closed by the emergency teams under the mayoralty due to a wave of heavy rain followed by cumulonimbus thunderstorms in the Eastern Province. In light of the recent rainy weather, the Dammam mayoralty declared the closing of the King Fahd Road tunnels as a precautionary measure to protect public safety.

Moderate to heavy rain fell on Riyadh, causing water to accumulate in several streets of the capital city, but it had little effect on traffic flow. On Wednesday, the education departments in Riyadh and the Eastern Province made the decision to discontinue in-person instruction in favor of remote learning via the Madrasati and Rawdati platforms. The Madinah Education Department posted images of workmen fixing air conditioners and electricity, as well as clearing off standing water in schools, on the X platform. 

However, there is still a risk for moderate to strong thunderstorms that will produce torrential rainfall, along with hail showers and strong winds that will agitate dust and debris, according to the National Center of Meteorology's most recent weather forecast, which was released on Wednesday.