Snow turns parts of Saudi Arabia into a winter wonderland

Residents wrap up warm as temperatures reached freezing point

Snowfall on the heights of Jebel Al Lawz, in Tabuk. All photos: SPA

In the Tabuk region, where Neom's Trojena development is planned, snow commonly falls in winter.

Jebel Al Lawz is a mountain in the north-west of Saudi Arabia.

The mountain is situated near the Jordanian border, about 200 kilometres north-west of the city of Tabuk.

Snow has covered parts of the kingdom’s northern cities over the past few years.

The south-western Asir region, at the other end of the long Hejaz Mountains range to Trojena, was also carpeted in snow in 2018.

The kingdom is home to a range of geographies, including the mountain ranges where it snows.

Despite this mountain geography, there are currently no outdoor skiing resorts in Saudi Arabia.

Heavy rain and snowfall in the province of Al Ahsa.

Saudi Arabia does have regular snowfall, thanks to its many mountains above 2 500 metres.

Snow carpets the ground in the province of Al Ahsa.

UPDATE: Snow falls in the UAE

The deserts of Saudi Arabia had a dusting of a different kind during the weekend as a cold snap brought snowfall to the country.

Some parts, such as Tabuk in the northern region, were covered in a white blanket as residents took to social media to show off the rare experience.

Some were not put off by the freezing temperatures and camped out, while others took the opportunity to get creative with the snow.

Farther to the east, the UAE was experiencing extreme weather of its own, having been hit by torrential downpours that left parts of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah flooded.

Forecasters said there was a possibility of snow in the mountains this week.