Saudi GazetteA vehicle caught fire after it skidded and hit a concrete block on a rain-swept road in Dammam, Tuesday. — Okaz photoRIYADH/DHAHRAN – Schools were closed, many business meetings were postponed, and markets and roads were nearly deserted as rains affected life in Riyadh and parts of the Eastern Province, Tuesday. Thunderstorms and rains will continue for the next 48 hours, according to the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) Forecasting Center in Dhahran. The weather will remain very unstable, a senior forecaster at the PME Forecasting Center said. “The current temperature is now 13 degrees Celsius, but it will go down to 4 to 5 degrees Celsius. We have issued a weather bulletin to the Saudi Coast Guard to be on the lookout for fishermen intending to venture out to sea and to prevent them from sailing,” the forecaster said. The PME issued a bulletin to the Ministry of Education asking it to cancel all classes and school activities. “We have also involved the security agencies and the Red Crescent in monitoring emergencies during the next two days,” the PME forecaster said. Some business meetings at the Asharqia Chamber of Commerce and Industry were postponed because of low attendance. Riyadh Mayoralty sent out 280 field teams to tackle flooding in the streets and intersections. The teams also started clearing the flood canals from building rubble to ease the flow of storm water. The mayoralty distributed water tanks and pumps to all areas not connected to the city's drainage network. The collected water is being pumped away to areas on the city's plains. Another team, including engineers, has been assigned to check the 13 underpasses in the city to ensure that the pumps are functioning properly. The mayoralty has been receiving calls on its 940 emergency number ever since it received warnings of heavy rain over Riyadh. It urged residents to call the number if they need help. The weather reports from the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment showed that medium rains lashed Asir and its suburbs. There were also heavy downpours in Hail and surrounding areas. – With input from Faris Al
