Latest: Ice in the desert - how cold does winter get in the Middle East?
Temperatures in parts of Al Ain sank to a freezing minus 5° on Monday morning.
Residents had to scrape ice from cars and icicles formed around trees and plants.
The extreme weather happened in Raknah, close to a wadi in Abu Dhabi emirate, and has been tracked by Storm Centre UAE.
Storm Centre has popular social media channels dedicated to covering the region's extreme weather.
We have never experienced such cold weather in the UAE before
Dozens of residents also gathered to experience the weather and some were forced to light a fire because the freezing conditions.
“This is my third day here,” said Emirati businessman, Hamdan Al Eissaaee, 28.
“I came on Friday after midnight and I wasn’t prepared. I did not expect it to be that cold.
“It was minus seven degrees [at one point]. I could barely stay for an hour and a half.”
Mr Al Eissaaee said he learnt his lesson and was dressed in full gear for the night. He arrived with four of his cousins on Monday at around 2am.
“At first we were excited to feel the cold temperature. We have never experienced such cold weather in the UAE before,” said his cousin Ali.
“But two hours later it got too cold so we had to light a fire.
“In the summer we escape the heat by turning on the AC and in winter we escape the cold by lighting a fire.”
'I'm cold-blooded'
Two young men who stood in freezing cold all night only dressed in light kanduras, said they disagree.
“I am cold-blooded I guess. I don’t see the need to dress warm,” said Hamad Al Mazrouei, 20.
The Emirati student was not even wearing any form of head cover, just a light kandura – the white traditional dress worn by local men.
“I am trying to absorb as much cold as I can before it gets burning hot,” said Abdullah Al Dhaheri, 30.
Fahad Mohammed, co-founder of the Storm Centre, said the team has been going every night to record the temperatures. He said across the Levant conditions were similar.
“On the first day, the temperature dropped to minus seven degrees at some point and remained at minus six most of the time," he said.
“When we poured water on anything, it immediately froze.”
Sultan Al Mansouri, 26, a photographer from the Storm Centre team said: “We did not get rain this year but thank God we were compensated with the freezing cold."
The team was founded in 2006 by Mr Mohammed, Ali Al Neyadi, Omar Al Nuaimi, Hamad Al Kaabi, Abdullah Al Jaberi and Ahmad Al Barq.
“None of us studied weather-related sciences. We all started as a hobby,” said Mr Al Neyadi, 30.
“We are from different emirates and each one reports on the weather changes in his area and we measure the strength of the wind and based on it we predict where the rain will be.
“During summer we chase rains and we went to a number of cyclones.”
Mr Mohammed said he loved nature and was dedicated to capturing its beauty.
“We chase storms, rains and snowfall everywhere in the region.”
He said their hobby proves risky at times, like when they chased Cyclone Mekunu that hit Salalah in 2018.
“We were in the middle of the tornado,” he said.
“We covered the snowfall on Jebel Jais in 2017 and 2009 and 2008.”
The freezing temperatures do not represent a record. The National Centre of Meteorology is official source of weather data in the UAE.
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'The Ice Road'
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne
2/5
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
The%20US%20Congress%20explained
%3Cp%3E-%20Congress%20is%20one%20of%20three%20branches%20of%20the%20US%20government%2C%20and%20the%20one%20that%20creates%20the%20nation's%20federal%20laws%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20Congress%20is%20divided%20into%20two%20chambers%3A%20The%20House%20of%20Representatives%20and%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%C2%A0The%20House%20is%20made%20up%20of%20435%20members%20based%20on%20a%20state's%20population.%20House%20members%20are%20up%20for%20election%20every%20two%20years%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20bill%20must%20be%20approved%20by%20both%20the%20House%20and%20Senate%20before%20it%20goes%20to%20the%20president's%20desk%20for%20signature%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20political%20party%20needs%20218%20seats%20to%20be%20in%20control%20of%20the%20House%20of%20Representatives%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20The%20Senate%20is%20comprised%20of%20100%20members%2C%20with%20each%20state%20receiving%20two%20senators.%20Senate%20members%20serve%20six-year%20terms%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20political%20party%20needs%2051%20seats%20to%20control%20the%20Senate.%20In%20the%20case%20of%20a%2050-50%20tie%2C%20the%20party%20of%20the%20president%20controls%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More on animal trafficking
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
