RIYADH: A thick layer of sand covered the skyline in Riyadh and its outskirts on Friday with a blanket of dust caused by strong winds hampering visibility on city roads.
The National Center for Meteorology, or NCM, warned in its forecast that the Riyadh region would be affected by dust, strong winds, and near-zero horizontal visibility on Friday.
The road safety authority and Saudi Highway Security asked motorists to exercise caution due to poor visibility caused by the dust storm.
The General Directorate of Civil Defense advised residents to avoid going to sandy locations on the weekend to prevent accidents during the sandstorm, and also called for caution and for people to follow instructions issued as a result of weather conditions in parts of the Kingdom.
According to the NCM forecast on Friday, moderate to heavy rain and hail could fall in parts of Jazan, Aseer, Al-Baha, and Makkah regions.
Light to moderate rain could fall in parts of Najran, Riyadh, and Madinah regions.
Widespread dust storms were also predicted in several areas of the Kingdom as the NCM forecast said that dust-stirring winds would blow in parts of these regions, as well as in the Eastern, Qassim and Tabuk regions.
Winds over the Red Sea will be northwesterly to westerly at speeds of 15-34 km per hour in the northern part, reaching 40 km per hour in the central part, and southwesterly to southeasterly at speeds of 10-50 km per hour in the southern part.
In the Arabian Gulf, winds will be northwesterly to northeasterly at speeds of 15-30 km per hour in the northern and central parts, and 10-25 km per hour in the southern part.
