Saudi government closes schools due to heavy rains

Saudi authorities closed educational institutions in various regions of the country on Wednesday, where heavy rains caused flooding and made some roads impassable.

In Qasim, a province located in the center of Saudi territory and one of the hardest hit by the previous night’s rainfall, images carried by the press showed cars partially submerged in floodwaters after heavy rains.

The National Meteorological Center issued “red” warnings not only for this province, but also for other regions, including the Eastern Province in the Gulf, the capital Riyadh and Medina Province, which is located on the Red Sea. These warnings predict “heavy rain accompanied by strong winds, low horizontal visibility, hail, torrential rain and thunder”.

Schools in the Eastern Province and Riyadh remained closed and are therefore providing online classes.

Officials in Medina province posted photos on social network X of maintenance workers restoring power and removing water from schools. In the Saudi capital, roads were flooded on Wednesday, but traffic was still possible for vehicles and pedestrians.