Videos on social media show animals cooling off and wadis in full flow after weekend showers hit parts of the UAE

If your feed was filled with rain clips on Sunday, you probably noticed some unexpected scene-stealers: animals having the time of their lives. As heavy showers swept through parts of the country on October 12, camels and donkeys were filmed lingering in puddles and strolling through damp desert flats like they ordered the weather themselves. The footage came alongside wider storm coverage, with reports of overflowing wadis and slick city roads as the system pulsed across the UAE.

Out east and inland, the rain put on a proper show. In and around Al Ain, stretches of road briefly flooded as convective clouds dumped fast, cooling bursts. Elsewhere, mountain corridors and desert valleys turned photogenic, with runoff carving silver ribbons through the landscape. The animal cameos were the internet’s favourite cutaways, a reminder that the first big autumn rains are as much a relief for the wildlife as they are for everyone waiting to switch off the A/C.

The National Centre of Meteorology noted the usual stormside cautions, from gusty winds near thunderclouds to reduced visibility when dust kicks up at the edge of a cell. Translation for storm-chasers: enjoy the scenery, but give the weather respect, especially around fast-moving water and low-lying crossings.

If you are asking yourself why it feels so different after a long and very hot summer, you aren’t alone. The first proper downpours often arrive with a quick dip in temperature and that “new season” smell the second the sand drinks in the water. It makes sunsets cleaner, mornings crisper, and, yes, turns even the most stoic desert residents a little playful. If the unsettled spell lingers, expect more surprise cameos as the clouds regroup over the interior and drift west.

Image: Archive