Saudi Arabia terms video showing snowfall at Grand Mosque as fake

A viral video clip of heavy snowfall in Makkah’s Grand Mosque doing the rounds on various social media platforms is fake, according to Saudi Arabia’s meteorological department.

In the doctored video, pilgrims clad in white robes can be seen enjoying heavy snowfall around the Holy Kaaba while taking selfies and recording videos.

The 55-second video and several pictures of the rare moment were shared by thousands of social media users.

“A video clip recently circulated on the social media purportedly showing snowfall in Masjid Al Haram, #Makkah is fake, the National Meteorological Center said in a statement on Sunday,” the Haramain Sharifain said in a tweet.

A video clip recently circulated on the social media purportedly showing snowfall in Masjid Al Haram, #Makkah is fake, the National Meteorological Center said in a statement on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/rCOHbb4LSw

— Haramain Sharifain (@hsharifain) January 1, 2023

In November last year, heavy rains hit western Saudi Arabia including the coastal city of Jeddah, delaying flights and forcing schools to close.

The Makkah region includes Jeddah, the kingdom's second-largest city of roughly four million people, and Makkah city, the holiest city in Islam where millions perform the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages each year.