Rainfall in Masafi area welcomed by residents

FUJAIRAH // Summer storms showered the mountainous area of Masafi this week — despite temperatures of 50°C across the country.

The rain was a welcome surprise for residents, who said the water will help their crops.

"The rain came from Allah, thank God," said Ali Al Yammahi, 23. "We were shocked but after the rain the weather was humid and still hot."

The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology confirmed medium to light showers fell on Tuesday and yesterday afternoon.

The rain was caused by high humidity coupled with 25 knots of inland wind, which led to the formation of cumulonimbus clouds against the Omani mountain range.

The weather is normal for this time of year - a knock-on effect of the low pressure systems that cause the Indian monsoon season. Meteorologists may have helped nature along by dispatching two cloud-seeding planes to northern and southern areas. In some places, more than 4mm of rain was recorded on Tuesday.

Yesterday, state news agency Wam posted pictures of a rain-soaked Fujairah market. But the RAK side of Masafi is still waiting for rain.

"It's only two minutes between [them] but there was no rain yesterday," said resident Mouza Suleiman.

aalhaddad@thenational.ae

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