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Saudi education authorities directed schools and universities in several regions to switch to remote learning starting April 12, 2026, after heavy rainfall triggered flooding and traffic disruptions. The National Center for Meteorology recorded up to 65.6 millimetres in Asir, prompting the Ministry of Education to activate the Madrasati platform in affected areas including Riyadh, the Eastern Province, Al Baha and Al Ahsa to maintain student safety and educational continuity.
The National Center for Meteorology reported that Abha Airport station in Asir registered 65.6 millimetres of rainfall, the highest total during the April 11-13 storm event. King Khalid Reserve in Riyadh measured 42.2 millimetres, Al-Qadisiyah district of Dammam saw 20.6 millimetres and Al-Darb in Jazan recorded 11.2 millimetres. NCM data further shows that average rainfall from April 1 to 16 reached 20.3 millimetres, exceeding the historical average of 7.8 millimetres. World Bank climatological records place Saudi Arabia’s national annual average precipitation at approximately 103 millimetres.
Riyadh and the Al Ahsa governorate were among the most visibly affected areas, according to multiple reports, with heavy rain causing flooding on major roads and widespread standing water. The Saudi Red Crescent Authority said it deployed 143 ambulances and 25 rapid response teams to support flood-related incidents in Riyadh. Flood warnings remained active across much of the kingdom into April 14 as the weather system continued to influence conditions in various provinces. Transportation networks experienced significant disruptions during the peak of the storms.
Gulf News reported that education authorities in several regions suspended in-person teaching and shifted students to the Madrasati remote learning platform as conditions deteriorated. Closures were confirmed in parts of the Eastern Province, Asir and Al Baha, extending to universities including Al Baha University, King Khalid University and King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences on affected campuses. The directive covered both K-12 schools and higher education institutions in the impacted zones to prevent interruptions to the academic schedule.
The Madrasati platform was established by the Ministry of Education in partnership with Microsoft during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as a unified e-learning system. Microsoft documentation indicates the platform supported more than 6 million students with availability exceeding 99.7 percent and facilitated over 153 million virtual classrooms at its peak. An ITU prize entry noted that the system now serves more than 6 million students and half a million teachers as an integral component of the kingdom’s educational infrastructure. The current deployment builds on its proven track record for maintaining learning during emergencies.
Southwestern mountainous areas of Saudi Arabia typically receive between 400 and 600 millimetres of annual rainfall while central and northern regions average 50 to 100 millimetres, according to national water resources assessments. The storm’s concentrated precipitation in Asir therefore represented a substantial portion of yearly norms in a short period. NCM continues to monitor kingdom-wide weather activity and issue updates to guide further public and institutional responses. Similar patterns have prompted coordinated closures in prior years when rainfall exceeded seasonal expectations.
