The downpour lasted for more than 45 minutes. An official from the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment Protection (PME) said that the rains would continue over the next 24 hours. He described the weather conditions as “unstable” and said winds were blowing at 42 kilometers per hour from the southwest. The PME urged citizens and residents to take precautionary measures.
Minister of Education Prince Faisal bin Abdullah announced that schools in Riyadh will remain closed on Tuesday. Minister of Higher Education Khaled Al-Anqari also announced a one-day closure of public and private universities and colleges.
The General Directorate For Civil Defense announced a state of emergency in Riyadh. It warned people not to use their vehicles unless they were urgently needed.
Officials at the Saudi Red Crescent (SRC) were on high alert on the highway to help with problems due to road accidents.
The Riyadh municipality marshaled all its resources to help motorists pull stalled cars out of flooded roads. Municipal workers used special equipment to drain water from under bridges.
According to airport authorities, there was no disruption of flights as a result of the weather, but nearly half of the passengers who were to take the afternoon flights from the King Khaled International Airport to various destinations missed their flights because of the heavy rains on the airport road.
However, outbound passengers, who were taking the midnight flights took the Takhasussi Road, which was free of water clogging. Airline sources said that alternate arrangements would be made for passengers who missed their flights on Monday.
“There’s a blackout due to rains. We called 933 (electricity emergency) to notify them and were informed that this is the case in the entire northern parts of Riyadh and that it would hopefully be resolved in a couple of hours,” said a Riyadh resident.
