A number of lakes suddenly appeared in the desert region of Saudi Arabia. This phenomenon occurred shortly after the barren mountain in Mecca turned green and made the world's public excited.
Not only lakes, the Wadi al-Rummah area which is usually arid is now fed by rivers. Several news websites shared photos of the incident, and Middle Eastern publication Al-Arabiya also reported the sudden appearance of a lake and river.
بارندگیهای اخیر در عربستان سعودی موجب شده تا وادی الرمه مملو از آب شود.
— VOA Dari (@VOADari) January 16, 2023
Jet skiers take advantage of this rare event. They were seen in action across the water and watched by local residents. Some people are also seen rowing boats rowing across the lake. Hundreds of people from various areas near Wadi al-Rummah flocked to the location of the overflowing reservoir.
Geological studies
Based on geological studies, Wadi al-Rummah has experienced something similar but very rarely, only three times every 100 years. In the 1900's, a similar phenomenon occurred in 1945, 1982, and 1987. In the 200's, this phenomenon occurred in 2004, 2008 and 2018.
Looking back, the longest inundation ever occurred in 1818. At that time, Wadi al-Rummah was flooded for 40 days. Then in 1838, there was a flood for 22 days and in 1987 and 2008 the flood hit for 17 days.
"In 1838 Wadi al-Rummah overflowed, creating a 520 square kilometer lake which lasted for two years. This phenomenon attracted water birds that are rarely seen in the valley to visit the area," wrote Al-Arabiya's report.
Heavy rain
To note, in early January 2023, Saudi Arabia was hit by heavy rains. Saudi Arabia's National Meteorological Center announced that heavy rains, accompanied by strong winds, occurred in several parts of Makkah, Jeddah, Rabigh, Taif, Jamum, al-Kamil, Bahra, Khulais, al-Laith, al-Qunfudhah, al-Ardiyat, Adham al -Baha, and Asir. Heavy rain also hit Medina, al-Qassim, and Riyadh.
This event then led to the phenomenon of a number of barren areas of Makkah overgrown with green grass. Uniquely, it even snowed in the Tabuk region in northern Saudi Arabia when temperatures dropped across the Arabian Peninsula.