TABUK – People in the northern regions of Saudi Arabia geared up for cold weather with their sweaters and thermals as temperatures plummeted to below freezing points in some cities and governorates. Gas stations in the regions are witnessing heavy rush from local residents to buy kerosene and fill their heaters to keep warm their homes during the winter. According to a statement of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), Al-Qurayyat governorate in the northern Al-Jouf region and Turaif in the Northern Borders Region recorded the lowest temperatures in the Kingdom, with mercury dropping below one degree Celsius at dawn Saturday. The temperatures in Tabuk city reached three degrees Celsius while Hail recorded five degrees Celsius. Al-Qurayyat, Turaif and other cities of the northern regions usually witness extreme sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall during the winter season. In a report published on Sunday, NCM said that most provinces of the Kingdom, including Makkah, Riyadh, Al-Baha, Asir, Al-Qassim, Eastern Province, Tabuk, the Northern Borders Region, Al-Jouf and Hail will witness a rainy winter weather from Tuesday. Apart from operating heaters, most residents in the northern regions resorted to wearing heavy winter clothes, especially the traditional fur farwa, to escape the cold wave conditions. Some families revived the winter habits, represented by sitting around the fire, enjoying grilling meat and eating the Mansaf meal in order to warm the body.
