What does a Class III (moderate to highly effective) atmospheric depression mean?

Arabia Weather - The Regional Arab Weather Center created an index to measure the intensity and effectiveness of weather depressions during the year 2018, which consists of 5 degrees; It was created with the aim of making it easier for citizens to know the degree of strength and impact of a depression and how to deal with the expected weather condition. The greater the degree of severity of a depression, the more precaution must be taken and attention must be paid to the weather phenomena that accompany it.

This indicator depends on several factors that affect its intensity and strength, including:

• The total amount of rain in the areas affected by the depression in the Kingdom
• Wind speed and gusts during the period of low impact
• The number of areas that will be covered by the depression
• The duration and period of impact from the beginning to the end of the depression
• Temperatures accompanying the depression and how cold they are
• Snowfall and its amounts

According to this indicator, weather depressions were classified into five grades:

• First degree: It is a low-intensity depression that is accompanied by some rain and has a generally weak effect.
• Second degree: It is a normal depression accompanied by some rain and affecting some areas
• Third degree: It is a depression whose intensity ranges from medium to high and is accompanied by moderate to heavy rainfall, strong winds, and may be accompanied in some cases by snowfalls in some places, especially high ones, if this is indicated, along with a significant drop in temperature. .
• Fourth degree: It is a highly effective depression (which may be a winter storm) and is accompanied by heavy rain, strong winds, and a significant drop in temperature. In some cases, this depression may be snowy in some areas.
• Fifth degree: This is the depression that can be referred to as a winter storm and is usually accompanied by heavy rain, strong winds, and a severe drop in temperatures and affects large areas of the Kingdom, in addition to heavy snowfall in large parts of the country.

What does a third-degree depression mean?

The third category includes depressions whose intensity ranges between medium and highly effective, with greater amounts of rain and lower temperatures, and accompanied by a high abundance of rain, which requires issuing serious alerts because these depressions are accompanied by weather phenomena that are more severe than those that accompany usual depressions.