Satellite images show that Mecca, a holy city according to Islam, has flooded after Saudi Arabia was hit with torrential rains due to a storm on Monday that swept away cars and caused havoc, the Saudi Gazette reported.
The country's National Center for Meteorology has issued red alerts due to heavy rain in regions including Al Qunfudhah, Al Ardiyat and Adam, and it has predicted the rain in Mecca will continue on Friday and Sunday.
Newsweek reached out to Saudi Arabia's National Center for Meteorology for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The flooding of Mecca as well as other Saudi Arabian cities is significant because the region has a hot desert climate, and it usually receives little to no rainfall, highlighting significant changes in the weather, according to Climate Data.
Scientists previously predicted that pilgrims traveling to the city would experience higher temperatures in the future due to climate change, and this adverse weather event could indicate unexpected patterns in the region are yet to come.
What to Know
Photos and videos shared on social media show cars and roads being submerged in water. Like Mecca, another holy city, Medina, in Saudia Arabia has also flooded after the rainfall, in addition to Jeddah, a port city on the Red Sea.
The Medina region received the most rainfall, at 49.2 millimeters, while Jeddah had 38 millimeters of rain. Hussein al-Qahtani, the spokesman for the National Center for Meteorology, wrote in a post on X that the "rainy season that began tonight and will continue until Wednesday has begun to affect the northern regions, and will gradually extend to Qassim, Riyadh, the Eastern Province, Al-Baha, Asir, and the regions of Madinah and Makkah Al-Mukarramah and their coasts. We will keep you updated, God willing."
Mecca, also spelled Makkah, is known for hosting large groups of people who travel on an Umrah pilgrimage throughout the year or a Hajj pilgrimage in the last month of the Islamic calendar. Mecca is home to the world's largest mosque, known as the Great Mosque, and pilgrims travel to Medina, also spelled Madinah, to visit the Prophet's Mosque, the second holiest Islamic site globally.
A previous instance of heavy rain in Mecca took place in August 2023, when rainfall caused schools to shut and the streets were flooded, as reported by Al Jazeera. Jeddah has also been the subject of heavy flooding previously, as the floods of 2009 caused the deaths of more than 100 people, according to the outlet Arab News. Flooding in Medina also occurred in 2005 during the final days of the annual Hajj pilgrimage and resulted in the deaths of 29 people, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.
What People Are Saying
Regarding the rainfall, on January 6, Al-Qahtani wrote: "Rainfall total so far: Al-Basatin district in Jeddah recorded the highest amount at 38 mm, and the central area of the Prophet's Mosque recorded 36 mm. The rainy conditions are still continuing in the Kingdom's regions. Be sure to follow the instructions and warnings issued by the competent authorities."
The National Center of Meteorology wrote: "We call on everyone to follow the reports issued by the Center through the official website and its media platforms, and to follow the instructions of the relevant authorities."
What Happens Next
It is unknown if the heavy rainfall has severely damaged infrastructure in Mecca or other affected cities, and what ramifications the weather could have for future pilgrimages to the region.
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