The icy temperatures in parts of the Saudi Arabia have covered its desert sand with powdery snow. With the temperatures dropping below freezing, Saudis are reacting with a healthy dosage of humor, and even a few snowmen.
Actually, the frigid temperatures and extensive snow is a sudden treat for Saudi Arabia’s central and northwest regions. Usually, they see high temperatures of around 20° C (68° F), even in the November (cold season).
People have taken to social media to put across their feelings on the winter surprise. Here’s how they have reacted:
أجمل صباح من شمال الحجاز من تبوك جبل اللوز .. اليوم 1438/2/23 #هوية_الحجاز pic.twitter.com/kIxas1A3Eq
— جَزيْريّ (@li_liberty) November 23, 2016
شاهد المقطع الذي صدم محترفي التزلج في أوروبا وأمريكا تزلج على الثلج في جبال اللوز بالطريقة السعودية#جبل_اللوز#تبوك pic.twitter.com/TOf6BKRZPe
— ماجد فتيني (@majed_waheep) November 23, 2016
الجو أوروبي اليوم لدرجة أن واحد قبل شوي عند الإشارة يسألني:
الأخ مبتعث؟
قلت له لا زائر
جلسنا نضحك ونتكلم عن السعودية وعن موعد نزول الثلج????— 00:00:01 (@sunset01234) November 28, 2016
While some drivers didn’t seem too confident on the slick streets, with an image showing a pile of cars pulled over on the side of the street, others opted to play in the snow rather than drive.
Snow falls in Northern Saudi Arabia: pic.twitter.com/PkAvPVWVJA
— Arabian Veritas (@ArabianVeritas) November 24, 2016
بالصور: “رجل الثلج” يتزين بشعارات أندية دوري جميل في السعوديةhttps://t.co/Bw2U5Y9PTP#برو_سبورت pic.twitter.com/CRrj1hApbb
— المملكة اليوم (@KSATODAY1) November 26, 2016
Notably, Saudis faced condemnation earlier in January 2015 by a cleric when they took part in the activity during a freak snowfall. The cleric called it sinful and ‘anti-Islamic’ and issued a fatwa (religious ruling) forbidding the activity.
However, his view was clearly not shared by everyone in the nation.
The snowfall came as temperatures fallen at -3 ° C (26.6 ° F) in the Al-Jawf region and -1 ° C (30.2 ° F) in the northern province of Al-Quryat, as per a report in Saudi Gazette.
