A severe polar wave is sweeping across the Middle East this week causing temperatures to drop in the midst of a cold snap, according to regional weather experts. Many countries in the Gulf region are experiencing bitter chill as part of the cold snap, with Kuwait the most affected, where the temperature has dipped to minus zero at night in some areas.
As a consequence of the extreme weather, many schools in Kuwait have suffered from absenteeism as students have opted to remain at home to avoid the bad weather that started on Monday. The Kuwaiti education authorities have permitted the school principals to find the cold weather as a valid reason for justifying pupils’ absence, and have been authorized to cancel the morning assembly to protect students from the effects of the cold wave.
Meteorologists expect the low temperatures to persist till Wednesday ranging between four and two centigrades around Kuwait while falling to below zero in desert areas.
Authorities in Kuwait have issued warnings to motorists regarding poor visibility levels and heavy dusty winds. Farmers have been urged to take precautions to protect their plantations against dawn frost.
In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi General Authority of Meteorology and Environment Protection has forecasted that temperatures are likely to plummet to below zero centigrade on Wednesday morning in several parts of the kingdom including the northern border areas and the capital Riyadh.
A new video is seen circulating showing that water in taps in Saudi Arabia has frozen due to the bitter cold wave that has hit the kingdom for the last two weeks.
According to the Saudi Gazette, this cold wave started towards the end of last month, and renowned weather expert Muad Al-Ahmadi named it ‘Muqarqaa Al-Baiban’.
“The first wave started last Tuesday, and it’s the climax was on Wednesday and Thursday, and that ended on Friday, while the second wave, which is the strongest and hardest, began Saturday, and would continue till midweek,” he said, and noted that this will cold wave will be stronger than the past few to hit the kingdom.
