Lately, winter storms have been a global occurrence, with cold weather causing power outages in Texas and snow hitting parts of the Middle East.
A viral video of snow-covered Saudi Arabian camels in Tabuk caused Saudi Arabia to become a trend on Twitter on Thursday, sparking an online discussion about how snow is common in the region.
Reporter Joyce Karam released a video on Twitter of “confused” camels surrounded by snow.
“Wow. A heavy snowstorm is going on in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. These camels look so confused :,”
Correction information:
I live in Saudi Arabia, it snows annually in the north of the country, it is not a rare event .🤷🏽♂️🥶 pic.twitter.com/9sYy1yqEXk– ماجد العطاوي (@ al3tawi1982) February 18, 2021
The claim
A viral tweet that shared the camel video in Tabuk with the caption “Hey, climate deniers – it’s snowing now in Saudi Arabia …” has sparked many claims about the reality of snow in northern Saudi Arabia. The tweet has accumulated more than 80,000 likes and 30,000 retweets.
A user who claims to live in the country replied and wrote: “Correction: I live in Saudi Arabia, it snows annually in the north of the country, it is not a rare event.”
“There is no denying climate change, but it is also not so rare that this region – Tobuk – in northwest Saudi Arabia has snow. Contrary to popular perception, not all regions of the kingdom are hot all year round.”
There is no denying climate change, but it is also not so rare that this region – Tabuk – in northwest Saudi Arabia has snow. Contrary to popular perception, not all regions of the kingdom are hot all year round.
– Fahad Nazer فهد ناظر (@fanazer) February 18, 2021
The facts
The Middle Eastern climate is typically hot and dry as it is home to the Arabian desert. However, historically, some areas of the region have experienced winter weather.
On Wednesday, a rare winter storm hit several countries in the Middle East, including Libya, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia. Some areas experienced snow for the first time.
After a user tweeted that snow in Saudi Arabia is an annual occurrence, another user replied, “I researched this because your comment made me curious and, in fact, you are wrong. Although snow, if [sic] not unheard of in Saudi Arabia, it is extremely rare and considered an ‘extreme weather event’. This is the first time in 50 years that it has snowed in the Sahara. Far from being ‘annual’. “
I researched why your comment made me curious and, in fact, you are wrong. Although snow is unprecedented in Saudi Arabia, it is extremely rare and considered an “extreme weather event”. This is the first time in 50 years that it has snowed in the Sahara. Far from being “annual”.
– RoxyBlue (@Sablesabine) February 18, 2021
The user said that annual snowfall in Saudi Arabia is extremely rare and supported the claim by saying that it is the first time that the Sahara desert has received snow in 50 years.
However, the Sahara Desert is not in the Middle East kingdom on the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is in North Africa and has been snowing for the past 50 years.
Although Saudi Arabia is generally hot and dry, it is not uncommon for snow to occur in northern Tabuk.
Tabuk is nearing the end of its coldest season, according to Championtraveler.com, which describes the region’s winter season as lasting from December to February.
“Weather stations report that large amounts of snow are likely to be deeper around December, especially near the end of December,” the website wrote.
“It literally snows there every January, lol,” said a Twitter user about Tabuk.
The region is known to be popular with tourists due to snowfall in a Khaleej Times article.
It also snowed in Tabuk last month. A Voice of America tweet shows a Reuters video of snow on Tabuk on Jan. 10.
❄️❄️❄️Parts of Saudi Arabia were covered in snow on Friday, January 10, when temperatures dropped below zero degrees Celsius. Video shows a man playing in the snow while his friend hands him a drink in Tabuk, located in the northwest of the country.
(Reuters) pic.twitter.com/N1dNgKfCuA
– The Voice of America (@VOANews) January 11, 2020
The decision
False.
It is not uncommon for Tabuk, in northwest Saudi Arabia, to experience blizzards during the winter.
Mohamed Al Hwaity / Reuters