A torrential downpour of hail cuts through the desert in central Saudi Arabia

Activists on social media circulated a video documenting a rare and unusual scene, showing a torrent of hail running strongly in the middle of the desert in the Riyadh region, following a wave of heavy thunderstorms that some governorates witnessed on Saturday, April 11, 2026.

The video shows a remarkable flow of water mixed with hailstones as it cuts through the desert streams, in an exceptional scene that reflects the severity of the weather conditions that affected the region during the past hours.

One of the most beautiful scenes
A hailstorm swept through the desert in central Saudi Arabia yesterday. pic.twitter.com/IYsOv8qUrL

— ArabiaWeather - Saudi Arabia (@ArabiaWeatherSA) April 12, 2026

The National Center for Meteorology had previously warned that several regions in the Kingdom, including Riyadh, would be affected by a state of atmospheric instability, accompanied by heavy thunderstorms and hail showers, which led to the formation of such torrents in some locations.

This scene is one of the rare weather phenomena that attract attention, especially as it coincides with strong and unusual rainfall activity in such desert areas.