[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="When it snows in the Saudi north" ids="117216,117217,117218,117219,117220,117221,117222"] MANY cities in the Kingdom's north experience sub-zero temperatures around this time of the year with roads and mountains blanketed by snowfalls. And it is fun time for people of the region who enjoy the unique weather in different ways. They exchange the news of the snowfall and invite each other to enjoy the wonderful weather. Astronomers say winter in Saudi Arabia is dependent on cold winds blowing from the Siberian mountains toward the Arabian Peninsula. The cool weather normally continues for about three months with occasional snowfalls. Abdulaziz Al-Mirmish Al-Shammari, a member of Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, said this year's cold season started on Dec. 22 in the northern hemisphere. "This comes within the 24th solar cycle, which began in 2008 while the middle of the cycle was in May 2013 and is likely to end in 2020. Major climatic changes have occurred during this cycle, quite different from previous cycles," Al-Shammari told Al-Watan Arabic daily in a recent interview. "We expect the winter this year to continue until March 21," he added. The Saudi winter has three astrological signs — Pisces, Capricorn and Aquarius — and seven lunar phases. Cold winds from Siberia hit northern Saudi cities of Arar, Qurayyat, Al-Jouf, Jelamid, Rafha, Hail and Tabuk. In December, white and brown merged as snow covered the desert sand in central and northwestern regions of the Kingdom after temperatures dropped below zero Celsius. In the central city of Shakra' and the northwestern city of Tabuk, thin layers of snow carpeted the ground. In Tabarjal, a town located in the northern Al-Jouf region temperatures reached -3 Celsius, and in Al-Qurayyat, the temperature was -1 Celsius. According to Al-Arabiya English, the snowfall, which literally converted the desert sand into a white expanse, attracted large numbers of amateur photographers who wanted to document the unique weather patterns in the region. Pictures and videos of citizens enjoying the snow were posted on social media networks in large numbers. While one clip showed a man rolling the snow as if it is a carpet in the desert, other videos showed groups of people dancing, throwing snow balls at each other, running around trees bound by snow, and generally having fun and enjoying the snowfall. Boys as well as adults were seen throwing themselves into the snow and sliding down slopes. Some of them were seen making huge balls of snow and trying to transport it on top of their SUVs. In Turaif, the snowfall continued for several hours in the morning but disappeared with the first rays of the blazing sun. Schools remained open despite the snowfall, but many students were absent as parents could not drop them to schools because of the snow-covered roads in the morning. Huge trucks were found parked along the international road between Turaif and Jelamid. Emergency teams in Turaif worked hard to clear the roads and other public places while cranes were used to lift trapped vehicles. Long lines of vehicles were seen at petrol stations along Arar-Turaif Road as people wanted to fill their fuel tanks to meet any emergency situation caused by the weather change. Firewood sales also soared in the region. The General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection on Sunday predicted another wave of cold spell to hit seven provinces of the Kingdom, including the northern provinces, in coming days. It said the low temperatures will be accompanied by dusty winds and reduced visibility. "The sky will be partly or fully cloudy in the northern and northwestern parts of the Kingdom," the authority said. "Strong winds will kick up dust and may obstruct horizontal view. The authority also forecast cloudy to nearly cloudy skies in most regions of the Kingdom. There might also be fog in some areas of the Kingdom in the northern borders and southwestern heights during the early morning and at night," said Ayman Ghulam, vice president of the authority, He said the weather forecasters predicted further snowfalls in Qurayyat and Turaif in Al
