For residents feeling frosty about the UAE’s tepid winter scene, here’s a chilly twist: On Sunday morning, Jebel Jais Mountain registered the lowest temperature across the UAE since the start of this winter.
The sweater season might be fashionably late, but the country’s northernmost point brought along a 3.4°C surprise on Sunday. An unexpected dip in the mercury is sure to give residents in Ras Al Khaimah a taste of winter chill in the desert.
An icy 4.2ºC was recorded at 5am on Saturday morning (February 3) at Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah, snapping Al Ain’s record of 5.3ºC in Raknah on January 10.
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With the onset of the ‘Scorpion Season’, renowned astronomer Ibrahim Al-Jarwan, a member of the Arab Federation for Space and Astronomy, predicts an increase in rainfall throughout February. The Scorpion Season is known for its characteristic precipitation over extensive regions.
The period, which spans 40 days and commences around February 6 and concludes on March 17, is marked by abundant rain and is characterised by its winds fluctuating between Northwest and Northeast.
At the beginning of this period, the northern regions of the Arabian Island will encounter winter freeze. The residents of the Al Jouf region and the broader northern area will face the ‘February frost’, said Ibrahim Al-Jarwan. This climatic occurrence is particularly notable during the first and second weeks of February.
Last week, the UAE experienced fluctuations in temperature due to the influence of a surface depression originating from the southwest, coupled with the presence of humid southeasterly winds.
Rain, accompanied by lightning, lashed several parts of the country. According to National Centre of Meteorology (NCM)E, rains were recorded in six of the seven emirates — Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain. Rain was also recorded in Khor Fakkan.
The UAE has seen a milder winter recently compared to previous years, as the experts from the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) indicated. The expert highlighted that the average temperature in December has been higher, along with less rainfall than in previous years.