Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
President Trump to visit flood-ravaged Kerrville as search continues Chevron right
New flash flood threat looms in Texas as heat scorches recovery zone. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

94°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

94°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Severe Weather

Snow, severe weather targets Middle East amid flooding woes

By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Published Mar 18, 2020 5:48 PM EDT

Copied

It's been a stormy March for much the Middle East, and that trend will continue as another storm threatens the region with more disruptive weather.

Last week, heavy rain targeted portions of the area, including Iraq. On Thursday, the governor of Nineveh confirmed more than 1,330 homes were destroyed in flooding in Mosul.

The city was placed on lockdown by the governor earlier in the week to help reduce the spread of coronavirus in the area.

Heavy flooding in Mosul hampers rebuilding efforts https://t.co/Nbf0lj3sNE pic.twitter.com/YVGTIVhl4H

— The National (@TheNationalNews) March 20, 2020

According to the National, neighborhoods surrounding the Tigris river in northern Iraq were the hardest hit by flooding earlier this week. Residents in the region were forced to evacuate their homes.

Flash flooding was also reported in Duhok as well, leaving rubble in the streets and picking up and piling cars.

Aftermath of yesterday’s flash flooding in Duhok!#Kurdistan pic.twitter.com/WwGkvIZrm5

— Baxtiyar Goran ☀️ (@BaxtiyarGoran) March 19, 2020

The next storm emerged from the Mediterranean Sea and move into the Middle East on Friday bringing another unhelpful dose of wet weather.

This storm brought showers and thunderstorms from southern Turkey and northern Iraq to northern Saudi Arabia and Jordan through the beginning of the weekend. Meanwhile, colder air moving in with the storm allowed snow to fall across parts of Turkey, covering roads into the higher elevations.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

The rain and thunderstorms on the southern side of the storm were equally as disruptive, especially from northeastern Syria and northwestern Iraq to the coast of the Mediterranean.

Heavy downpours created ponding on roadways, especially in lower elevations as well as mountainous and arid locations.

Additional rainfall in the hardest hit areas earlier this week, like Mosul in Iraq, could bring even higher water levels and threaten mudslides in addition to flooding.

"While the greatest severe weather threat with any thunderstorms will be lightning, isolated cases of gusty winds and hail are also possible," added Houk.

Related:

AccuWeather's 2020 Asia spring forecast
Enhanced Satellite loop for the Middle East
The new coronavirus makes an 'extremely active' flu season worse
Gusty winds whip across eastern China, produce sandstorm in Beijing

Any gusty winds arriving ahead of precipitation helped to stir up any sand, creating a sand or dust storm.

As the storm continued to move east into Iraq and Iran through the weekend, it produced more severe weather for locations around the Persian Gulf.

The threat for severe weather will continue to move east into the beginning of the week as the storm advances.

Gusty thunderstorms will extend into parts of Pakistan, southern Afghanistan and northeastern Oman through Monday.

"Bursts of strong winds will accompany thunderstorms sweeping through southern Iran and eastern Saudi Arabia to U.A.E. and northern Oman," said Houk.

In addition to the strong winds, which will be capable of causing damage as well as conjuring up a sandstorm, thunderstorms will be capable of producing flooding downpours and hail across this area into Sunday.

Isolated waterspouts will even be possible at coastal locations. A waterspout or two in the region may move onto land.

Residents in the region should remain alert of the changing weather conditions and have a safe place to seek shelter.

The storm will move away from the area through next week, allowing dry conditions to return to the region as a whole. More storminess could return to Turkey by the middle of next week.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather News

A week after deadly Texas flooding, hope fades but resilience grows

Jul. 11, 2025
Severe Weather

Rounds of severe storms to rattle, drench central US

Jul. 11, 2025
Severe Weather

Is the US seeing worse flooding this summer? Here’s what’s happening

Jul. 11, 2025
video

Before-and-after pictures show devastation caused by Texas floods

Jul. 9, 2025
Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

Jul. 6, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather Forecasts

Thunderstorms to fuel flash flooding threat in Texas

4 minutes ago

Weather News

President Trump visits Texas Hill Country as flood recovery continues

4 hours ago

Weather News

Camp Mystic’s owner warned of floods for decades

8 hours ago

AccuWeather Ready

Is your house in a flood zone? This map has the answer

2 hours ago

Severe Weather

Is the US seeing worse flooding this summer? Here’s what’s happening

7 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Health

How can families handle new anxieties around summer camp?

3 hours ago

Weather News

Viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng celebrates her first birthday

7 hours ago

Weather News

Orcas are bringing humans gifts of food – but why?

7 hours ago

Business

Samsung is looking into more AI devices potentially including earrings...

7 hours ago

Weather News

The US has a plan to breed millions of flies and drop them from planes

1 day ago

AccuWeather Severe Weather Snow, severe weather targets Middle East amid flooding woes
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...