By John O’Sullivan – PSI
As Spring is sprung in the northern hemisphere the otherwise arid, hot climes of Saudi Arabia are experiencing a wild week of snow, hail and dream-like fog and ice accumulation.
Locals were quick to post on Youtube video of the unusual conditions:
Most of the snow fell near Tabuk in the Hijazi Mountains.
Usually, April sees an average daily mean temperature of 32 degrees C (90F). No announcements have been made as to whether the record low temperature of 11 C (52F) has been broken, though it seems a distinct possibility after watching the video evidence.
None of the locals dared to build any snowmen. The last time Saudis took part in such “western activities” after a freak snowfall in January 2015, they were condemned by a cleric who called it sinful and “anti-Islamic.” He issued a fatwa (religious ruling) forbidding the activity – though clearly his opinion is not shared by everyone in the country.
The climate of Saudi Arabia is marked by high temperatures during the day and low temperatures at night. The country follows the pattern of the desert climate, with the exception of the southwest, which features a semi-arid climate.
This reminds me of how genius climate scientists claimed back in 2000 that ‘Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past’ – ‘Children just aren’t going to know what snow is’ – UK Independent.
