Comment: The Express story on this concerns one set of events that took place in the MENA regions last week. But as you'll see in the videos below, there have actually been successive waves of extreme weather from Tunisia to Iran, all month long...
A bizarre freak weather phenomenon has struck the Middle East, unleashing heavy snowfall, extreme floods and "apocalyptic" dust storms.
The mysterious and extreme weather has caused bizarre 'ice floods' to sweep across deserts in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. The freezing plunge in temperatures has perplexed meteorologists in a region that is typically basking in scorching sunshine at this time of year. Last week, several parts of Tunisia were hit by snow and torrential rainfall, causing fatalities.
Floods and colder temperatures were felt throughout the Levant, as rain led to severe flooding in Riyadh, and hail, thunderstorms, and flash floods struck the UAE.
At the same time, nearly one hundred villages have been evacuated in Iran due to an extreme rainfall deluge and subsequent flash floods.
Large parts of Saudi Arabia have been submerged in snowfall, sparking wonder amaze local residents and concern among scientists.
At one point, a hailstorm in Saudi Arabia became so severe that it triggered an icy flash flood.
One user on Twitter described a dangerous dust storm this week as "apocalyptic".
Dr. Ahmad Habib, a meteorological expert at the National Center of Meteorology in the UAE, said:
"It's usually warmer in April. This isn't familiar weather in this period.Experts claim the unusual weather patterns could be a sign of climate change.
"It's a period of instability for all the region."
Dr. Karim Bergaoui, a climate and water-modeling scientist in Dubai, added:
"This April was exceptional in many countries, like the snow that hit Tunisia.Dr. Taoufik Ksiksi, associate professor of biology at UAE University, added:
"We feel it's exceptional because the last three years have been three successive dry years in North Africa."
"The weather is unusual in North Africa and West Asia.
"Such extreme weather events, whether it's very intense snow or rain, are out of season."
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