Saudi Arabia's winter wonderland: Deserts turn white as freak hailstorms lash normally arid landscape

Saudi Arabias Al-Jawf region has been transformed into a winter wonderland after a freak hail storm turned the desert white.

In a press release on Saturday, the Saudi regimes press agency said: Heavy rains accompanied by large amounts of hail have continued in various parts of the Al-Jawf region since last Wednesday, and the land has been watered and the valleys have flowed, which heralds an attractive spring season.

Images and videos showing the dreamlike landscapes have surfaced on social media, showing how beads of ice - which almost appear to look like snow - cover large swathes of the sandy desert. 

Clips taken from the inside of a vehicle driving along a road show how the terrain looks almost unrecognisable as it is covered in a blanket of ice pellets the size of golfballs.

The Saudi Arabian meteorology center has issued severe weather warnings for the coming days, forecasting heavy rainfall, hail showers and strong winds, as well as reduced visibility. 

Saudi Arabia s Al-Jawf region has been transformed into a winter wonderland after a freak hail storm turned the desert white

Images and videos show beads of ice - which almost appear to look like snow - cover large swathes of the sandy desert

The UAEs National Centre of Meteorology has attributed the latest hail storms to a low-pressure system coming from the Arabian Sea

 Meanwhile, the UAEs National Centre of Meteorology has attributed the latest hail storms to a low-pressure system coming from the Arabian Sea. 

As a result, thunder and hail storms have swept through Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 

While extremely rare, Saudi Arabia has in the past experienced  snowfall and hail during the winter. 

Back in 2021, temperatures in Saudi Arabia fell to -2 C, leading to a freak snowstorm in the countrys Aseer region, where mountains and deserts were blanketed in white, while camels were pictured surrounded by snow. 

It was the first time in almost half a century since the temperature in the region had dropped below freezing. 

The Saudi Arabian meteorology center has issued severe weather warnings for the coming days

Snow and ice are unusual in desert regions

Snow and ice are unusual in desert regions, and may seem like a contradiction, but are not completely unknown. 

Temperatures in desert landscapes can drop dramatically overnight but snowfall is usually melted early the following day. 

In 2022, the Sahara desert was left with mesmerising patterns of snow across its sand dunes after temperatures fell below zero. 

The Sahara Desert covers most of Northern Africa and it has gone through shifts in temperature and moisture over the past few hundred thousand years.

Although the Sahara is very dry today, it is expected to become green again in about 15,000 years.

Temperatures in desert landscapes can drop dramatically overnight but snowfall is usually melted away by the next day

In a press release on Saturday, the Saudi regimes press agency said: Heavy rains accompanied by large amounts of hail have continued in various parts of the Al-Jawf region since last Wednesday