Heavy rain & hail hits the UAE
Hail, thunder, heavy rain – a typical summer in the UAE.
Many of the emirates were hit with heavy summer rains yesterday, with Ras Al Khaimah seeing hail.
Here’s footage of the rain in Sharjah yesterday:
Heavy rain and thunderstorm in Sharjah’s central region #rain #sharjah #UAE #thunderstorm #BeatTheHeat pic.twitter.com/Cuh208B3tg
— The Gulf Today (@thegulftoday) August 11, 2016
The parts of the UAE that saw a drop in temperature and then heavy rain and thunder and lightning include Hatta, Wadi Al Qor in Ras Al Khaimah and Muziara in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.
There was no recorded rain in Dubai.
Here’s what it looked like in Ras Al Khaimah yesterday:
There was also heavy rain in Ras Al Khaimah on Saturday, as you can see here:
The Wadi Al Halo area of Sharjah saw clogged roads and a disruption to traffic due to the rain.
WHY RAIN NOW?
According to the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) August rains in the UAE are generally a side effect of the Indian monsoon season.
“The moist air masses approach the eastern regions and cause Cumulus clouds accompanied with thunderstorm and rain,” the weather service explains of why eastern emirates like RAK get hit the most. “At times [the clouds] may extend their influence further inside.”
ALSO READ
*August weather in the UAE: Could ‘feel like’ 70 degrees*
*So when is the hottest time of year in the UAE?*
It also rained in Ras Al Khaimah late last week, this is what it looked like there last Wednesday (click to play):
A video posted by عواصف رأس الخيمة? (@storm_rak) on
CAN WE EXPECT MORE RAIN TODAY?
Yes, the NCMS is predicting “heavy rain” in Al Ain today, with temperatures reaching a sweltering peak of 47 degrees Celsius in the city.
The weather service is predicting that rain will continue throughout the week in the areas of Ras Al Khaimah, Al Ain and possibly Sharjah too.
Meanwhile, Dubai will be mostly sunny on Monday (how unusual) with a high of 45 degrees Celsius.
Speaking of heat, the high in the non-coastal, desert parts of the UAE today will be 49 degrees Celsius.
Basically, stay indoors.
– For more about Dubai straight to your newsfeed, follow us on Facebook.