Two deaths have been confirmed on Thursday, November 24, as heavy rains pelted the western parts of Saudi Arabia, not excluding the coastal city of Jeddah.
This have led to incoming flights having to be delayed as a result of the torrential weather and schools were also shut, Khaleej Times reports have said.
Jeddah, the kingdom’s second-largest city of roughly four million people, is a Mecca region and Mecca city. It is also the holiest city in Islam where millions of individuals perform the hajj and umrah pilgrimages annually.
Once the rains had begun on Thursday, began, the road connecting the two, which many pilgrims use to reach Mecca, was barred but it was later reopened, according to authorities.
The decision had been based on reports from Saudi Arabia’s National Centre of Meteorology, which had foreseen heavy thunderstorms.
The Kingdom’s two primary universities: King Abdulaziz University and the University of Jeddah, had immediately followed suit, closing their entrances, leading to the final exams being postponed for the first semester.
Already, officials have directed residents to follow the necessary safety guidelines and cautions asking to avoid from stagnant rainwater.