School authorities informed parents that they were canceling classes for small children to avoid any unpleasant incident in the event of showers, which some times followed dust storms.

Over the past years heavy rains have accompanied dust storms.

The principal of an international school in the Rowdah district in Jeddah, who did not want his name to be published, told Arab News that both parents and school authorities panicked when the weather forecasts indicated dust or thunderstorm. They dreaded a repeat of the past two years when school students were caught in rains and floods that caused deaths of more than 130 people.

“When there is any indication of a change in the weather we call parents to take their children home early or we send the children in school buses,” he said.

Abdul Aziz Al-Watar, a Saudi media consultant at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said shortly after high winds kicked up dust  that swept the city at 9 a.m. in the morning a worried principal of the school in which his  children were studying called him to take the children home immediately. 

He believed that was an over-reaction, but he expected this reaction to any weather change to continue until people forget the nightmares of November 2009 and January 2011.