Traffic chaos in Riyadh as Saudi Arabia is hit by flooding

Traffic backed up and schools were shut in the Saudi capital on Wednesday after a severe storm sparked flooding.

Municipal workers pump water from a flooded street in Riyadh after heavy rainfall across the Saudi capital. Fayez Nureldine / AFP Photo

RIYADH // Traffic was backed up and schools were closed in the Saudi capital on Wednesday after a severe storm triggered flooding.

The storm, which struck during Tuesday evening’s rush hour, had subsided by dawn on Wednesday, but some roads were impassable.

Riyadh implemented its emergency plan to deal with the flooding, the spokesman for the municipal council, Mohammed Al Shwayman, was quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) as saying.

Residents were urged not to gather in affected areas “for the sake of taking pictures and videos, putting their lives at risk,” he said.

Traffic backed up for kilometres along at least one main road and many vehicles broke down as the deluge flooded city streets.

The Arab News daily reported that all schools in the capital region would be closed on Wednesday.

SPA reported that at least one university, the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, had also cancelled classes.

In south-west Saudi Arabia, classes were suspended in the Asir region “due to weather conditions,” an official cited by SPA said.

* Agence France-Presse