It's official! December 22 marks the beginning of winter in UAE, minimum temperature was 6.9°C today with rain in some areas
Rain was reported in Fujairah and Sharjah, more rain expected over the weekend
Dubai: Time to get your jackets out! Sweater weather is officially here in the UAE. Temperatures across the country have seen a dip today along with rains reported in some areas.
Today, December 22, marks the winter solstice, which has the shortest day and the longest night of the year. After that, the days will gradually get longer, and the nights shorter.
The December solstice occurs around the world at the same time. This year, the solstice took place on Thursday December 22, at 1.47am in the Northern Hemisphere.
The event marks the start of winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere. During the winter solstice, the sun appears directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, a line of latitude 23.5 degrees south of Earth's equator. The sun appears to rise and set at its southernmost points on the horizon. After that, the days will gradually get longer, and the nights shorter.
On Thursday morning, the lowest temperature recorded over the country was 6.9°C in Jebel Ali.
By Thursday evening rain was reported in Fujairah and Sharjah.
The NCM issued a statement explaining the weather situation in the country: "The country affecting by an extension of a surface low pressure system from the southwest associated with humid Southeasterly winds with an extension of upper air low pressure system and westerly jet stream with cloud mass cover from the west."
More rain expected on Saturday and Sunday
In a weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday, the NCM said that the weather will be "partly cloudy to cloudy at times with an increase of cloud amount with intervals accompanied with some convective clouds especially over the coastal, northern and some eastern areas of the country associated with rainfall at different time periods with a significant decrease in temperatures on Sunday".
Strong winds are expected at times and rough to very rough conditions are expected in the Arabian Gulf. The Oman sea will be moderately rough at times, the weather alert said.