The heavy rain that hit Jeddah was the highest rainfall ever recorded in the coastal city, Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology (NCM) spokesman Hussein al-Qahtani said on Friday.
The rain on Thursday lasted about eight hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. m. to 5 p.m. m. – and amounted to 179.7 millimetres of water, according to the monitoring stations of the centre
The highest level of rainfall in Jeddah was previously recorded in 2009 when NCM recorded 111mm of rain.
At least two people have died, dozens of flights have been delayed, and schools have been forced to close as Saudi Arabia braced for the storm.
Videos on social media showed flooded streets in Jeddah and other areas of the Kingdom as people drove to safety.
Police officers and emergency services were dispatched around the city to help motorists on the road, according to the official Twitter account for the Mecca region.
Authorities urged the public to refrain from driving unless necessary and to take precautions.
The showers are expected to continue into Friday morning before subsiding, according to the NCM.