Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Monday ordered government agencies to provide people with relief as bitterly cold weather gripped the country, particularly in the northern regions.

King Abdullah directed Tabuk Gov. Prince Fahd bin Sultan to ensure citizens and expatriates are protected during the extreme weather. Prince Fahd said there were no casualties so far. He said several government agencies were looking after the public in the region.

The temperature dropped to below zero in some places in the Kingdom, with Riyadh experiencing 4 degrees Celsius in the morning on Monday. Worshippers at Fajr prayers said the severe cold was coupled with light winds. The capital experienced mild showers in the evening.

According to the latest weather reports, winds from the northeast and southwestern parts toward the central region triggered scattered showers in Riyadh, Hail and Al-Qassim.

Azmy Sheriff, a banker, told Arab News that people were staying indoors because of the freezing cold. “It was 12 degrees Celsius at 6:30 p.m. on Monday,” he said.

The city police have instructed field staff to ensure smooth traffic flow in the capital.

The inclement weather is the result of snowstorm Alexa that has swept through the Middle East over the last four days, bringing unusual snowfall to several parts of the region, including Cairo and Damascus.

The weather also saw snow and heavy rainfall in the Kingdom this week. The Met Office expects temperatures to plummet for another week.

Saudi agencies rescued 23 people, including seven women and 11 children, who were stuck in the snowy Al-Lawz Mountain in Tabuk, near the Jordanian border, on Saturday.