As thousands of visitors descended on the UAE for the festive period, many were left reaching for their jumpers and coats as a cold snap set in.
While daytime temperatures have remained in the twenties for the past few months, residents and visitors have felt a distinct chill in the air during the early morning and late-night hours.
Lows of 7°C were recorded in the Northern Emirates last week, and Dubai and Abu Dhabi had morning lows of 12°C as children set off for school.
Cool mornings and cold nights are set to continue in the coming days, weather forecasters say, and shops have had increased demand for winter wear.
"The Custom Shop New York has seen a spike in sales in heavier cloths for sports jackets over the last three months," a representative for the men's tailors in Dubai told The National.
“With more people not travelling this past winter due to the global pandemic and the weather being much cooler, a lot of our customers chose to custom tailor heavier sports jackets and blazers as they didn’t feel cold enough for an overcoat.
“Fabrics such as lambswool and tweed have been far more popular this year than in previous for [those that want] something a little warmer for the Middle East winter.”
Sales staff at Centrepoint in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, said medium-padded sports jackets were proving a popular choice with customers in store.
At Max, a fashion retail store under the Landmark Group, cosy loungewear was flying off the shelves.
“December definitely spiked in terms of winter wear, nights, and some days, are getting cooler and people definitely need an additional layer of warmth,” said Hans van den Broecke, apparel buying head at Max.
“It is the time of the year for jackets, coats, sweaters, sweatshirts and all kinds of cosy loungewear products.
“Popular items have been puffa jackets, PU jackets, chunky sweaters, sweatshirts, hoodies, fleecy jumpers and PJs.”
Mr van den Broecke said there had been a “very strong double-digit increase from last year, both online and in stores”, despite customers being unable to travel to colder destinations this season.
On Sunday, the National Centre for Meteorology issued a weather warning as rain lashed parts of the country.
While cold mornings and evenings are not unusual in the UAE, temperatures have dipped slightly over the past few months. The weather has been changeable with sandstorms and downpours sighted a little more often than usual.
As a result, shops have reaped the rewards as customers fill their wardrobes with warmer clothing.
“Demand for coats and jackets is on the rise given the cool weather,” said Maria Akil, founder of Nomadic Camel, a luxury retailer in Dubai.
“In addition, scarves, shawls, ponchos and gloves have also seen an increase.
“We sold out 25 per cent more items starting December compared to the same time last year.
“While coat sales were up by 20 per cent, scarves and shawls have seen a 10 per cent increase.
“The cost [of items] varies depending on the style, fabric and design and can range anywhere from Dh150 to Dh500.”
