Strong low pressure trough wreaks havoc in region
In Saudi Arabia, authorities are dealing with floods that have claimed more than a dozen lives.
In Hafr Al Batin, a Saudi city located 430 kilometres north of Riyadh, near the Kuwait border, inundated streets have turned into small rivers as residents grappled with the fallout of heavy rains.
Civil defence officials said they helped rescue 46 people who were besieged by rainwaters flooding the city.
Video clips posted on social media showed several cars swept away or submerged by the rain that lashed the city on Wednesday evening. Residents were urged to avoid taking unnecessary risks, following reports that people had gathered dangerously close to wadis to watch the waters gushing down the valleys.
In Jordan, at least 33 people were killed in heavy rains and flooding in parts of the country. Earlier, 21 people, mainly schoolchildren on a day’s outing to the Dead Sea, were killed after they were swept away by torrential rains.
Meteorologists said the strong floods and unusual rains in the area were linked to an intense weather disturbance, caused mainly by a stronger than usual low pressure trough.