Makkah, Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, experienced unexpected weather on Tuesday. Intense storms and rain caused chaos and disrupted the activities of pilgrims.
Pilgrims performing the Tawaf were caught in a downpour, as seen in videos circulating online. Many of them were drenched, and the wet floors caused some to slip. Lightning illuminated the night sky, striking the famous Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower hotel.
Some videos even showed heavy objects flying around during the thunderstorm, causing panic among the pilgrims and locals.
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A powerful thunderstorm hit the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca 👀 pic.twitter.com/6PrztRigAH
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Hussain al-Qahtani from the National Center for Meteorology mentioned on X (formerly Twitter) that the winds reached speeds up to 80 km/hour. Within a single day, Makkah’s al-Kakiyyah neighborhood measured a rainfall of 1.8 inches.
Footage also revealed mild flooding in parts of Makkah, forcing residents to seek cover and stop traffic. The weather was similar to the 2015 storm when a crane at the Grand Mosque collapsed, leading to over 100 casualties and injuring many.
This time around, Saudi officials confirmed that there were no major incidents or injuries from Tuesday’s weather events.
By Wednesday morning, the flash floods had mostly cleared. However, locals felt that there was still potential for danger.
As quoted by AFP, Abu Mayyada, a Mecca resident, was out buying cigarettes and petrol when a sandstorm hit. He lost control of his vehicle and started listening to the Quran on the radio to calm himself down.
Another resident, Mohammed, said that a sudden downpour caused panic at the Grand Mosque.
