UAE | Weather
Cold snap curbs leisure activities in UAE
Most residents avoid evening jogs and outdoor cafes while brave the chill
- By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief and Shehab Al Makahleh, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 January 24, 2012
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
- Drenched roads in Ras Al Khaimah. The wet spell was accompanied by a strong breeze.
Al Ain/Abu Dhabi: A stubborn cold front continues to hold sway over the UAE, sending shivers through residents who are abandoning outdoor cafes and evening jogs in favour of indoor shopping runs for portable heaters.
Warmer seasonable norms are not expected to return until later in the week.
With some more remote quarters of the country dipping below zero Celsius, the cold snap is discouraging people from pursuing evening leisure activities — most parks and gardens present were deserted after sunset.
Dr Riaz Minhas, a physician at Emirates Medical Centre and Clinical Laboratories in Al Ain, said people should cover their head, hands, feet, and ears to ward off the cold.
"When it is cold, blood flow is concentrated on the body's core, leaving hands and feet vulnerable," he said.
Mohammad Hanif, a 55 years old Pakistani expatriate, said he hates the cold weather. "I suffer from joint pain in winter and autumn. The weather suddenly became very cold but I was well prepared for it this time."
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Indian expat Rajni Kumar hasn't seen such cold weather in four years of living in the UAE. "It is, perhaps, unusual or a weather cycle that returns after four five years," he said.
Conditions
Abdullah Nasser, an Emirati, said he strongly dislikes the cold weather as it limits his activities. "I believe this time conditions have not gone to extreme levels," said Nasser. "It is cold and unbearably cold, but it was extremely cold back in 1997-1998. I had to buy room heaters."
Coffee shops on the Abu |Dhabi Corniche were badly affected by the chilly winds that have swept the country since Sunday.
Jeena Malcolm, sales representative at Yogoday said: "We witnessed a decline in the number of clients who come in the afternoon to sip coffee or to have lunch."
Percy Phil of Goldstone said he isn't surprised café sales are down. "Sales at outdoor coffee shops are seasonal, with a peak during spring and on holidays. In addition, cold weather affects sales by decreasing store traffic," he said.
John, a waiter at Havana Café opposite Marina Mall, said footfall has dropped by half. "Less than half of our regular customers have shown up the last couple of days. Though we have heaters, we couldn't accommodate everyone," he said.
Ahmad Al Ali, a supermarket owner and manager at Khalidiya area in Abu Dhabi, said: "I am sure that this month we will see an increase in the cost of gas and electricity [bills] due to the cold weather. The price of staying warm during colder periods sounds dreary due to using of electric heaters, blankets, or eating more."
Buying heaters
Some residents went to malls to buy heaters and blankets. "I went with my family to buy two electric heaters and four blankets in order to avoid the chilly weather," said Hibatullah Fadl, a housewife in Abu Dhabi.
Sudden drop
- 0.7°C: temperature in Jebel Al Jais in Ras Al Khaimah
- 1.8°C: temperature in Raknah in Al Ain
- 1.9°C: temperature in Hameem
- Forecasters said temperatures are below the average monthly mean are due to a cold front moving over the Arabian Peninsula from Iran.
- "It would not be as disturbing for people if it happened gradually," said a duty forecaster yesterday.
- January is normally the coldest month of the year with the average maximum temperature of around 24°C and an average minimum of 14°C in Dubai.
- Strong and north-westerly winds up to gale force over 32 knots have been causing problem across the country.
- According to the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), yesterday morning at 6:15am, temperatures fell to 0.7°C in Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah. It was 1.8°C in Raknah in Al Ain, 1.9°C in Hameem, and 2°C in Al Ghoefat, located near the Saudi Arabian border.
- The temperatures compare to a reported -0.2 C in more remote areas.
- The centre said cold weather will continue at least for the next couple of days. Conditions will also be partly cloudy to cloudy at times especially in the northern areas where chances of light rain still exists today.
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