New Delhi, Dec. 23 -- Parts of Saudi Arabia's northern desert turned white this week after rare and heavy snowfall. In regions such as Tabuk and Al-Jawf, golden sand dunes were covered in thick snow as temperatures dropped below freezing. Visuals of camels walking through snow-covered desert appeared across social media platforms.

Snowfall in northern Saudi Arabia is uncommon, but it has occurred before, particularly in the higher elevations of the Tabuk region, where snow has appeared sporadically over the years.

According to the Saudi National Center of Meteorology (NCM), the strongest cold wave ever recorded in the Kingdom took place in 1992, when temperatures at the Hail weather station in the northwest fell to a record -9.3degC in ...