Torrential Rains in 7 Saudi Regions, Riyadh Records Highest Precipitation Level

Heavy rains in the Riyadh (Photo by: Bashir Saleh)
Heavy rains in the Riyadh (Photo by: Bashir Saleh)
TT

Torrential Rains in 7 Saudi Regions, Riyadh Records Highest Precipitation Level

Heavy rains in the Riyadh (Photo by: Bashir Saleh)
Heavy rains in the Riyadh (Photo by: Bashir Saleh)

The National Center of Meteorology said that moderate to heavy thunderstorms, accompanied by active winds stirring dust and hail showers, are likely to cause torrential rains in parts of the regions of Al-Jawf, Al-Qassim, Al-Sharqiya, Asir, Al-Baha, and Makkah Al-Mukarramah, while light to moderate rain is expected in parts of Hail, Najran, Jazan, and Tabuk regions.

The center added that surface winds will be active, causing dust, which may harm horizontal visibility over parts of the regions of Hail, Al-Qassim, Al-Jawf, Tabuk, and the eastern parts of the regions of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Medina.

The Riyadh region recorded the highest average amounts of rainfall, at 26 mm in Shaqra Governorate. The National Center of Meteorology warned of the continued rainy conditions in the Riyadh region, which includes the capital, Riyadh, and the governorates of Diriyah, Huraymila, Rumah, Durma, Zulfi, Al-Ghat, Al-Majma’ah, Shaqra, Marat, and Thadig, accompanied by high-speed winds and lack of horizontal visibility, in addition to hail storms and torrential rains.

The center also warned of moderate rain conditions accompanied by active winds and almost no horizontal visibility in the governorates of Al-Aflaj, Al-Hareeq, Al-Kharj, Al-Dalam, Al-Muzahmiya, Hotat Bani Tamim, Al-Rain, and Al-Quwayiyah.

According to the daily report of the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, which monitors rainfall amounts across Saudi regions, 84 hydrological and climatic monitoring stations recorded rainfall in the regions of Riyadh, Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Al-Qassim, Al-Sharqiyah, Asir, the northern border, and Al-Jawf, from 9 am on Saturday until 9 am the next day.



SpaceX's Starship to Deploy Mock Satellites in Next Test

SpaceX logo and Elon Musk photo are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
SpaceX logo and Elon Musk photo are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
TT

SpaceX's Starship to Deploy Mock Satellites in Next Test

SpaceX logo and Elon Musk photo are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
SpaceX logo and Elon Musk photo are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Elon Musk's SpaceX said upcoming Starship test flight would include the rocket's first attempt to deploy payloads in space by releasing 10 model Starlink satellites, a key demonstration for Starship's potential in the satellite launch market.

"While in space, Starship will deploy 10 Starlink simulators, similar in size and weight to next-generation Starlink satellites as the first exercise of a satellite deploy mission," SpaceX said in a blog post on its website, Reuters reported.

The Starship flight from SpaceX's sprawling Boca Chica, Texas facilities, tentatively planned for later this month, will mark the seventh demonstration in a test-to-failure style of rocket development where the company tests new upgrades with each flight.

In October, Starship's "Super Heavy" first stage booster returned to its launch pad's giant mechanical arms for the first time, a milestone for its fully reusable design.

The rocket's sixth test flight in November, attended by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, achieved similar mission objectives - besides the landing of Super Heavy, which was forced to target a water landing on the Gulf of Mexico because of a launchpad problem.

Starship is the centerpiece of SpaceX's future satellite launch business - an area it currently dominates with its partially reusable Falcon 9 - as well as Musk's dreams to colonize Mars.

The rocket's power, stronger than the Saturn V rocket that sent Apollo astronauts to the moon in the last century, is key for launching huge batches of satellites into low-Earth orbit and is expected to rapidly expand the company's Starlink satellite internet network.

SpaceX is under contract with NASA to land U.S. astronauts on the moon later this decade using Starship.

Musk, SpaceX's founder and CEO, has become a close ally of Trump who has made getting to Mars a more prominent goal for the incoming administration.