A severe sandstorm blanketed Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh for three hours on Tuesday halting flights to and from the city and causing 70 road accidents.

The wall of dust also forced Kuwait to suspend exports of oil at its three ports until the storm subsided.

Operations at the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and King Abdul Aziz Airport in Jeddah were completely shut between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. due to low visibility, Airport Director Saad Al-Tasan said, according to Arab News.

Riyadh Traffic Department spokesman Maj. Ali Al-Alwan said more than 70 road accidents occurred while traffic was snarled in Riyadh during the sandstorm that originated in Qassim province.

Saudi Arabia's weather agency warned of the storm in advance through text messaging allowing schools to close. People in Riyadh ran for cover when the sky turned orange.

Meanwhile, the Kuwait National Petroleum Co. suspended operations at three ports until the storm had passed, the state-owned company's spokesman Mohammed Al Ajmi told Gulf News. More than two million barrels of oil was not exported due to the suspension.