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Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah flooded amid torrential downpour, cars swept away, schools closed, flights cancelled

Devastating floods in Jeddah following record-breaking Saudi rainfall

Jeddah Saudi floods
Videos shared on Twitter show devastating floods in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Heavy rainfall in Jeddah led to severe flooding in the west of Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

Private schools and universities in Jeddah were closed and flights were delayed at King Abdulaziz International Airport in the west coast city.

Videos shared by residents showed Jeddah struggling with the aftermath of the rainfall as severe flooding shocked the area. Cars were swept away, streets were engulfed and property was destroyed by the floods.

Record Saudi rainfall

Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Meteorology registered the highest recorded rainfall on Jeddah’s southern area between 8am and 2pm, the Saudi press Agency reported.

Rainfall stood at 179mm it said, beating a previous record rainfall from 2009.

Videos show cars being buffeted by surging water through streets and cars flipped over, washed away and destroyed.

Saudi’s Civil Defence Agency issued a weather warning amid the extreme weather conditions, advising motorists and residents to be wary of conditions.

On its Twitter account, King Abdulaziz International Airport said flights were delayed and advised passengers to contact airlines.

Following rains in the Northern and Eastern parts of the UAE, multiple areas in Dubai are seeing rain, potential tornadoes and flooded streets.

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority issued an advisory for motorists the emirate is facing its first showers this year.

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