Srinagar, May 01 (KNS): Saudi Arabian authorities have closed schools in several regions on Wednesday as flash floods inundated roads, the latest instance of heavy rains disrupting life in the desert Gulf.

Reports said that the rain continued for seven hours from the afternoon until near midnight in very large quantities in the Qassim province.

"Water accumulated to a height of more than 10 centimetres (four inches) in front of the residence and prevented residents from going out to the street. The sound of thunder was loud and lightning was illuminating the city,” they said.

The national meteorological centre issued red alerts for Qassim and other areas including eastern province on the Gulf, the capital Riyadh and Medina province bordering the Red Sea.

It warned of heavy rain with strong wind, lack of horizontal visibility, hail, torrential rains, and thunderbolts.

Schools in Eastern Province and Riyadh also cancelled in-person instruction and moved classes online.

Rainstorms and flooding are not unheard of in Saudi Arabia, especially in winter, and larger, more densely populated cities can struggle with drainage.

Such problems are an annual occurrence in Jeddah, the port city on the Red Sea coast, where residents have long decried poor infrastructure. (KNS)