Published time: November 16, 2013 22:39Severe flooding (click here) is being reported in Saudi Arabia, especially in the kingdom’s capital of Riyadh, with the government closing schools and urging people to stay indoors amid heavy rain. Flooding is rare in the country dominated by the Arabian Desert.
Witnesses in Riaydh, which is also the country’s largest city, are reporting flooded streets and shops. Pictures posted on Twitter show cars drowning in rainwater.
Riyadh is caught in a very wet southern ICZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) assisted by water vapor from the Mediterranean Sea. These satellite images are a little different than UNISYS satellites, but, they illustrate what I am stating. The top photo is obviously on the ground tragedy. The black and white image is an infrared satellite illustrating the 'Y' shaped system coming into Riyadh. There is flow from the south heading north meeting with water vapor off the Mediterranean Sea from west to east.
The colored photo to the right is a section from the photo below showing the southern ICZ in the right lower corner of the photo. It is somewhat difficult to discern in this image, but, it crosses northern Africa, across Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, crossing the Red Sea across Saudi Arabia. It is a lot of water when those two water vapor sources come together. I hope everyone is okay.
Click here for satellite loop.
About the same time the southern ICZ is soaking Saudi Arabia's capital city, the northern ICZ moved as far north as I have ever witnessed it.
1830.18z
UNISYS Infrared Satellite of North and West Hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)
Below is the northern movement of the ICZ. It doesn't appear to be finished moving north either.
