Cloudy, with a chance of spicy nostalgia…

With the knowledge that ‘rain’ is likely still a trigger word for some UAE residents – let us be clear right from the outset – the UAE’s five-day forecast suggests the possibility of light rain in some areas. That’s a long way off kayaks at dawn, it’s more ‘hair frizz and cagoules’ in terms of the precipitation alert level, so there is absolutely no need for the panic buying of Indomie noodles.

And we’re likely to see a continuation of patchy cloud cover, light to moderate winds, convective cloud formation and associated scattered rain, as well as potentially rough seas. The persistent wind, (ahem) brings along with it, the possibility of a freshening breeze, but also blown-sand and reduced visibility.

The cloud cover also means we’ve seen a dip in temperatures in some areas, in fact – up on Ras Al Khaimah, temperatures fell to a comparatively frosty 18.7º last night.

Coastal areas – including the urban centres of Dubai and Abu Dhabi – can expect big temperature swings with lows of around 27º and highs of 44º. The humidity index is also likely to be volatile with upper limits 85 per cent dropping to just 20 per cent at times.

The cause of all this inclemency is an area of surface low-pressure coming in from the east, meeting an extension of weak upper air low-pressure.

Are we likely to see any cloud seeding?

Last year we spoke to Mr. Omar Alyazeedi, deputy director of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) to find out how cloud seeding works in the UAE and exactly how much of it goes on. This is what he had to say…

The UAE carries out nearly 300 cloud seeding missions annually as part of its efforts to enhance rainfall.

Are there specific types of clouds that respond best to cloud seeding, if so what do they look like and where can they most often be found?

While not all types of clouds respond equally to cloud seeding, cumuliform clouds such as cumulus clouds with a heaped shape and strong updraft at their bases are generally considered the most responsive to cloud seeding efforts.

The UAE has an arid climate with less than 100mm per year of rainfall. The statistical randomisation experiment conducted during the summers of 2004 and 2005 demonstrated that cloud seeding can enhance precipitation by 15 per cent in a turbid atmosphere. This enhancement ratio could potentially reach up to 25 oer cent in a clean atmosphere.

How much rainfall a year can be attributed to cloud seeding in the UAE?

The UAE has an arid climate with less than 100mm per year of rainfall. The statistical randomisation experiment conducted during the summers of 2004 and 2005 demonstrated that cloud seeding can enhance precipitation by 15 per cent in a turbid atmosphere. This enhancement ratio could potentially reach up to 25 oer cent in a clean atmosphere.

Images: Getty