Al Ain: Light rain and thunderstorms on Sunday pushed the mercury down by six to seven degrees, bringing some much-needed relief to people sweltering in the blazing summer heat.
People from Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Al Dhaid, Fujairah and surrounding areas reported thunder in the morning along with moderate to heavy showers. Residents welcomed the change and described the rain as ‘unusual’.
There was, however, no rain in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi where the sky remained cloudy almost the whole day.
Forecasters also pronounced the rain as unusual during this time of year. A weather system, said a forecaster, has been pushing cloud from over Pakistan to the Gulf. The system has already brought torrential rain in Pakistan, causing floods and landslides in different areas.
“We expect the cloudy conditions will continue for at least two days with a slight chance of rain,” he said.
The unstable weather will settle down gradually, but there is a chance of rain, particularly in the northern and eastern emirates, he said.
The overcast weather and lower temperatures provided huge relief to outdoor workers who have been facing a tough time in Ramadan. In the first three weeks of Ramadan the temperature was hovering at 46 to 49 degrees Celsius. It dropped to 40C to 41C in much of the UAE.
August is one of the hottest months of the year in which rain is particularly scarce. However, for date palm farmers rain this month could have a devastating effect on the crop.
“It is the harvest season and rain destroys the fruit,” said Abdullah Al Kaabi, a farmer in Al Ain. He said the rain was light and had not had much impact so far but could affect the crop if it continued.
For people driving from Sharjah to Dubai early on Sunday, the rain was a welcome sight.
“The rain was very light and we liked it. Usually during summer, the AC in our van cannot cope with the heat. But with the light rain today, it wasn’t as hot as usual,” Marianne Luzana, 30, a quantity surveyor working in Dubai, told Gulf News.
Filipino expatriate Marvin Atienzam, who is a landscape engineer, agreed. “It was a light shower which I have always thought was very unlikely to happen during summer in the UAE.”
He said traffic moved a bit slower than usual due to poor visibility as the rain was accompanied by wind that kicked up dust. — with inputs from Janice Ponce de Leon, Staff Reporter
