More than 6.5 hectares of beach and neighboring areas were flooded, causing significant damage to playgrounds and campsites. The flooding also damaged roads and pathways. Although local rumors spoke of a “mini tsunami” at the time, the real cause of the flooding was heavy northwest winds forcing seawaters inland.

A local resident told Arab News, “We had never seen anything like this before.” According to Muhammad Babidon at Saudi Arabia’s Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, “The agency normally issues an early warning in case of possible serious weather problems. This was by no means a tsunami which would involve some earthquake movement.”

Babidon added, “These were powerful northwest winds which caused strong tidal movements and led to the immersion of large parts of the beach; sometimes they can cause damage to public playgrounds and faacilities which was the case at Aqeer beach.”

Al-Hassa municipality has assured local residents that it is working on repairing the damage and that repairs should be soon finished.

“The municipality took all necessary action to prevent people from getting injured at the time,” Abdulatif Al-Hamud Aqeer, the municipality’s beach director, said. “Megaphones were used to direct people away from the water and off the beach.”

The strong winds also caused nearby salt water marshes to be covered by sand and dust. “All the municipality equipment was on the scene in order to assist people to evacuate the area quickly,” Al Hamud said.