Saudi Arabia was hit by severe lightning storms and strong easterly winds on Tuesday (August 22) which led to widespread damage across the nation.
The stormy weather's brunt was borne by the cities of Mecca and Jeddah, as well as several other regions.
Dramatic visuals circulated on social media showed wind carrying away pilgrims amid storm in the holy city of Mecca.
The storm brought gale force winds exceeding 80 kilometres (50 miles) per hour, Hussein al-Qahtani, spokesman for the National Centre for Meteorology, told AFP The conditions were similar to a 2015 storm that felled a crane at the Grand Mosque, killing more than 100 people and injuring hundreds more, Qahtani said.#VIDEO: Heavy rain and strong winds around the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
pic.twitter.com/nMh5haq1HO— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) August 22, 2023
No casualties were reported in Tuesday’s storm.