Saudi Arabia’s Atmosphere Safe from Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi Volcano: NCM
The Saudi National Center for Meteorology (NCM) has confirmed that the volcanic ash erupting from Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia has no direct impact on Saudi Arabia’s atmosphere.
The NCM said on Monday that it is actively monitoring the developments of the Hayli Gubbi volcano, noting that the recent weather observations and reports indicate that the Kingdom’s air quality and weather conditions remain unaffected.
المركز يتابع باستمرار مستجدات بركان #هايلي_غوبي، ولا تأثير مباشر للرماد البركاني المنبعث على أجواء المملكة. #نحيطكم_بأجوائكم pic.twitter.com/NDIX4VxGEL
— المركز الوطني للأرصاد (NCM) (@NCMKSA) November 24, 2025
According to the NCM’s spokesperson, Hussein Al-Qahtani, the center is deploying advanced systems to track cloud movement and weather phenomena 24/7, the Saudi Gazette reported.
“The current indicators do not show any path of volcanic ash towards the Kingdom’s atmosphere. Weather conditions are continuously tracked and updated,” Al-Qahtani said.
Furthermore, he emphasized that necessary measures will be taken if an impactful weather phenomenon occurs and the NCM will issue alerts or updates as required.
For the first time in around 12,000 years, the Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted on Sunday, sending plumes of thick smoke and ash up to 14 km into Ethiopia’s sky and across the Red Sea.
The ash clouds reached Yemen, Oman, India and northern Pakistan, and are moving eastward toward China, according to the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center.
The Hayli Gubbi volcano is located in Ethiopia’s Afar region near the Eritrean border. It has an altitude of 500 meters and sits within the Rift Valley, a zone of intense geological activity where two tectonic plates meet, according to CNN.
The volcanic ash has impacted air travel in India, with flag carrier Air India canceling several domestic and international flights to carry out “precautionary checks on those aircraft which had flown over certain geographical locations after the Hayli Gubbi volcanic eruption,” it posted on X.
