RIYADH: Schools in Saudi Arabia’s capital region Riyadh were instructed to switch to remote learning on Wednesday as storms and heavy rains continued to lash the country. The Ministry of Education said it had taken the decision “based on reports received from the National Center of Meteorology and in the interest of everyone’s safety.” Lessons would be conducted using the Madrasati and other e-learning platforms, it said. The rain continued to fall in Riyadh on Wednesday, while the temperature ranged from 17-25 degrees Celsius. Unaizah, a city in the central region of Qassim, saw its highest ever rainfall on Tuesday night. Abdullah Al-Misnad, vice president of the Saudi Weather and Climate Society, said on X that “70 mm of rain fell … in just 60 minutes, half the annual average.” Over the course of the night, the city saw 94.4 mm of rain, while Buraidah, also in Al-Qassim saw 17.5 mm, he said in the post, which was accompanied by images of flooded streets. The General Directorate of Civil Defense on Wednesday issued warnings and safety instructions as the Kingdom braces for more heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. “The Civil Defense calls for caution … due to the inclement weather situation witnessed in Qassim, Baha, Northern Borders, Jouf, Jazan, Asir, Makkah, Madinah and Riyadh regions,” it said. The authority appealed to people to “stay away from valleys and waterlogged areas” and said “your safety is our goal.” The National Center of Meteorology said on Monday that moderate to heavy rainfall would affect many parts of the country through Friday. On Tuesday it said there was likely to be “higher than average rainfall” throughout the month of May, with Makkah, Jazan, Asir, Baha, Eastern Province and the Riyadh region likely to be the worst affected.