DAMMAM, 7 December 2003 — Heavy rains lashed the Eastern Province, causing several traffic accidents and bringing life to a partial standstill.
There was a storm and cloudburst in Dammam and Alkhobar on Friday night and yesterday morning, resulting in 6.6 mm of rain in 24 hours. The streets of the twin cities were full of stalled cars and uprooted trees.
A few schools gave their students the day off and those which did not reported very low attendance. The worst affected area was the coastal road connecting Dammam and Alkhobar.
The King Fahd International Airport reported no flight cancellations but there were some minor delays. “Flights are normally affected because of poor visibility but the rains have not reduced visibility which yesterday was recorded at 2 km,” said one official.
The Presidency of Meteorological Environment Protection has predicted more rain in the next 48 hours along with thunderstorms.
The rains did not bring cooler weather as normally happens at this time of year.
The inclement weather affected markets, which reported an extremely low number of shoppers on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Shopping malls had slightly better attendance.
The agriculture sector was, however, happy about the rains. Muhammad Marzouk, a farm-owner in Safwa, said: “We expect a good harvest. I hope there is no hail or everything will be destroyed.”
