The National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) in Saudi Arabia has imposed fines exceeding 150,000 Saudi riyals on several individuals for disseminating unlicensed weather-related information, as reported by the Arabic-language daily Okaz.

NCM spokesperson Hussein Al Qahtani explained that these enforcement actions are in accordance with Article 9 of the executive regulations governing meteorological activities, which prohibits the release of weather information without prior authorization from the center.

While many offenders faced financial penalties, Al Qahtani noted that not all were fined; some were required to submit written pledges to refrain from future violations.

He emphasised that the primary goal of these measures is to protect public safety, ensure the accuracy of meteorological data, and promote compliance with official regulations.

In a separate development, Saudi authorities recently detained over 22,000 individuals during a coordinated security campaign aimed at enforcing residence, labor, and border security laws.

From July 24 to July 30, a total of 22,147 violators were arrested across the Kingdom. Among those detained, 3,540 had violated labor laws, 4,772 had breached border security regulations, and 13,835 had broken residence rules.

Additionally, authorities apprehended 34 individuals attempting to illegally exit the Kingdom and 1,816 people trying to enter Saudi Arabia, with 36% being Yemeni nationals and 62% Ethiopian nationals.