While experts say winter will officially start only after December 21 — it feels like the cold breeze is already here. The UAE’s Met department recorded a chilly 8.8°C on Friday.
The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) detected the lowest temperature this morning, at 6.45am, in Al Ain’s Raknah area.
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Over the past few days, the mercury has been hovering about 10°C to 11°C in other parts of Al Ain. On December 5, it dipped below the 10°C mark in Raknah desert.
Raknah might ring a bell — as it had made headlines in recent years. Tucked in a corner of Abu Dhabi’s Al Ain region, it’s a spot where residents could wear their puffer jackets to and play with ice.
Khaleej Times previously explored the area and saw firsthand how ice pellets peppered the desert and blanketed cars. Shrubs were frozen into icicles as the mercury plummeted to sub-zero temperatures — and stayed that way for days.
Whether we’ll see the same snowy wonderland in the area this year remains to be seen. Who knows? It’s already at 8.8°C — and it’s not even winter yet.