Saudi expert warns of more floods

Ghazzanfar Ali Khan in Arab News: A climate change expert has cautioned Saudis and residents to be vigilant against flash floods, saying that more heavy downpours, cold spells, heat waves and drought are expected because of changes in climatic conditions. Mansour Almazroui, chief of the department of meteorology at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), has blamed “abrupt climate change” for the devastating floods in Jeddah last week.

Almazroui, who called for taking measures against possible floods, landslides, building collapses, and erosion in coastal cities, said, “The amount of rainfall received by Jeddah on Nov. 25 was unprecedented in terms of volume and intensity. It was recorded as 90 millimeters within six hours, causing flash floods, ravaging the city.” According to records, Jeddah has never recorded such heavy rain in such a short period, he said.

“The rainfall came after the Arabian Peninsula suffered from prolonged drought that led to a shortage of water resources and depletion of many wells,” said the meteorologist. He noted that similar rainfall was recorded in the central region last year at more or less the same time. The downpour at that time caused flooding along Wadi Al-Rumah, which is the longest wadi in Saudi Arabia….

A Jeddah street, shot by Thomas Becker, Wikimedia Commons