RAK residents were treated to a dazzling display in the sky…

Spectacular footage has emerged of a “purple storm” in Ras Al Khaimah this weekend.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) had forecast that the UAE would experience a burst of unstable weather, with a high chance of thunder and heavy rain in some areas.

On Saturday night, that storm swept through the northern emirates – and judging by the images and videos posted to social media, it was quite a show.

Weather website storm.ae captured the incredible phenomenon:

And check out these amazing photos from a local photographer and storm chaser:

Why does the lightning appear purple? Well, lightning actually comes in a variety of colours, depending on atmospheric and environmental conditions.

According to netweather.tv, purple-tinted lightning is the most commonly observed colour, and is usually caused by high levels of precipitation.

Saturday night’s storm in Ras Al Khaimah also produced a large amount of hail, much to the delight of residents.

Look at the size of those hailstones!

. برد #منخفض_المربعانية #مركز_العاصفة

A post shared by مركز العاصفة (@storm_ae) on

Here are some more of our favourite pics:

#سماوي_للاستكشاف #برد راس الخيمة

A post shared by احمدالبدواوي (@ahmad_albedwawi) on

اجواء راك ?#ماشاء_الله

A post shared by حامد ال بشر (@h.eb0) on

16/12/2017 ??

A post shared by abdullah.alnaqbi☆ (@3bowd_4) on

The unstable weather is expected to continue on Sunday, with more heavy rain and lightning in some areas.

Main image credit: @m_3sh8ae/Instagram

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