Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology reported that heavy rainfall was accompanied by hailstones on Nov. 2. Many referred to the hail as snowfall, likely due to its appearance, but temperatures were simply too warm to support winter precipitation.

Rolling dunes, typically golden and sunbaked, lie transformed by snow and balls of ice – this is what a desert in Saudi Arabia looks like right now

In a remarkable turn of events, Saudi Arabia witnessed spells of heavy rain and snowfall for the first time in history. If reports are to go by, the Al-Jawf region experienced heavy snowfall recently, creating a winter wonderland in a country typically known for its arid climate. pic.twitter.com/k0XoUtVJua

Heavy rain and hail caused a surprise snowfall in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Jawf region, turning the area into an icy landscape for the first time. In sharp contrast to the region’s typical desert landscape, the normally parched mountains were covered in snow after the rain that began last Wednesday and evolved into hailstorms.

Heavy rains and significant hail storms have swept across parts of the Saudi Arabia since last week. The strange weather took a dramatic turn when Al-Jawf region witnessed snow fall for the time, creating a visual spectacle never seen before in the arid landscape.

Saudi Arabia’s typically arid desert in Al-Jawf has turned into a winter wonderland as snow has blanketed its sand dunes.

Saudi Arabia's Al-Nafūd Desert has experienced an unprecedented weather event, transforming its warm dunes into a winter wonderland. For the first time in recorded history, snow blanketed parts of the Al-Jawf region in the northern Al-Nafūd desert,