The 2016 Saudi Arabian snowstorm was an extreme weather event in late November 2016, in which parts of the Arabian Desert in Saudi Arabia experienced subzero temperatures, snowfall and flooding.
Snow was first reported in northern parts of Saudi Arabia on 23 November. By 25 November, temperatures as low as −4 °C (25 °F) were reported in Turaif, in Northern Borders Region, and there was snow cover in central and northeastern regions.[1][2][3] Normal seasonal temperatures do not fall below 20 °C (68 °F).[4] Many Saudis enjoyed unusual outdoor activities such as building snowmen and sliding;[5] however, the snow was followed by rain and lightning that caused flooding and led to the deaths of at least 7 people.[2][6]
As of 22 December 2016[update], snow had also fallen in Israel, Syria and other parts of the Middle East.[7]
Snow has occasionally occurred in Saudi Arabia in previous winters. In 2013 a video of a man somersaulting in snow there circulated on social media.[4] In January 2016, snow fell between Mecca and Medina for the first time in 85 years.[2]
^Dhafer Al-Bakri (27 November 2016). "Below zero? Snow covers sand in Saudi regions". Al Arabiya. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020.[permanent dead link]
^ abc"Saudi Arabia deserts covered in snow, followed by deadly floods". The Watchers. 30 November 2016.
^"Past Weather in Turaif, Saudi Arabia — November 2016". timeanddate. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
^ ab"Frozen deserts shock Saudi Arabia as -3 cold snap brings blankets of snow". news.com.au. 30 November 2016.
^"Parts of Saudi Arabia covered in snow, temperatures plunge". The Indian Express. 30 November 2016.
^"Heavy rain, floods in Saudi Arabia leave seven dead". Saudi Gazette. 30 November 2016 – via Al Arabiya English.
^"Snow blankets parts of Israel, Syria and the Middle East". The Telegraph (slideshow). UK. 22 December 2016.
and 26 Related for: 2016 Saudi Arabian snowstorm information
Jeddah, SaudiArabia's air gateway to Mecca, to take part in pilgrimage ceremonies. In 2016, due to escalating tensions between Iran and SaudiArabia, all...
West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, SaudiArabia to the south, and the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank...
The Gulf of Aqaba in the northeast separates Egypt from Jordan and SaudiArabia. Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt, while Alexandria, the...
tactics of guerrilla warfare. On his return trip he was arrested by SaudiArabian authorities while attempting to cross the Red Sea on a dhow, he was...
transporting some substance through the atmosphere (as in a dust storm, snowstorm, hailstorm, etc.). Summer storms including flooding, severe thunderstorms...
p. 6) include Great Britain, Ukraine, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, SaudiArabia and Argentina."; Lake 2009, p. 55: "The US has created a foundation upon...
China, nine in Indonesia, eight in Myanmar, three in Turkey, and one in SaudiArabia. January had the third-highest number of tornado watches and confirmed...
laborer, one among thousands of Indians who were forced into slavery in SaudiArabia as goatherds on secluded farms in the deserts by the native Arabs The...
Japan. He played for Gainare in two friendlies during the brief stint. A snowstorm delayed the team's arrival at Osaka from their Gainare base some 200 km...
the Arabian Sea while on approach to Bahrain Airport, killing 46 of 52 on board. June 14 – An Air France Douglas DC-4, F-BBDM, crashed in the Arabian Sea...
al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. 19 April Syrian Air Force raids on three towns in southern Syria kill at least 16 people. Oxfam accuses the Saudi-led coalition...
crashes off the right side of the runway shortly after taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, on a scheduled...
a 737-200 that was hijacked and crashed, catching fire near Arar in SaudiArabia. There were 106 people on board, and 60 passengers and 3 crew members...
Scotland against Wales. Only 1,200 fans attended the match because a snowstorm had led many fans to assume that it would be postponed. 1892 also saw...
Israel". The Jerusalem Post. Samenow, Jason (13 December 2013). "Biblical snowstorm: Rare flakes in Cairo, Jerusalem paralyzed by over a foot". The Washington...
candidates from Egypt, Kuwaiti MPs, and former ministers from Jordan, SaudiArabia (including Jamal Khashoggi), Syria, and Yemen. As of August 2019, the...
Sierra Nevada mountains, where it had impacted after running into a sudden snowstorm while on its approach to Tahoe Valley. Twenty passengers had taken off...
increasingly violent protests; President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali flees to SaudiArabia after 23 years in power. January 15 – The result of the South Sudanese...
plates. Some major oilfields such as Ghawar are found under the sands of SaudiArabia. Geologists believe that other oil deposits were formed by aeolian processes...
December 1951 – An Egypt Air SNCASE Languedoc circled Tehran twice in a snowstorm and crashed 10 km W of Tehran, killing 22 on board. 25 December 1952 –...
Switzerland at Geneva and voted for a three-month freeze on oil prices. SaudiArabia had been willing to reduce crude oil prices but faced opposition from...
Obama to go after SaudiArabia on 9/11 ties Archived January 10, 2017, at the Wayback Machine". New York Daily News. April 19, 2016. "Problem – NYC Housing...
years". BBC News. 31 May 2012. "Tunisia: Ex-President Ben Ali flees to SaudiArabia". BBC News. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2011. "Vláda schválila...
Global Information