Monsoon-loving Indian expats chase rain in UAE desert
Using satellite imagery, weather data and other high-tech tools, the amateur meteorologist tracks potential rainfall spots across the desert country and, along with other Indians nostalgic for the monsoon season, chases the clouds in search of rain.
"When I came to UAE in 2015, in August, it... was peak monsoon time" in Kerala, the 35-year-old estate agent told AFP, adding that he had struggled to adjust to the change of climate.
"So I started to search about the rainy condition in UAE and I came to know that there is rain happening in UAE during peak summer," he said, adding: "I started to explore the possibility to chase the rain, enjoy the rain."
Each week, he forecasts when and where rain might fall and posts a suggested rendezvous to the 130,000 followers of his "UAE Weatherman" page on Instagram.
He regularly posts footage of his rain expeditions out into the desert, hoping to bring together "all rain lovers who miss rain".
Last weekend, he headed out into the desert from Sharjah at the head of a convoy of about 100 vehicles.
But nothing is certain. The rain "may happen, it may not happen," Sajjad said. But when it does, "it is an amazing moment".
'Nostalgic'
After driving in the desert for hours, the group arrived at the designated spot just as a downpour started.
The rain lovers leapt out of their vehicles, their faces beaming as the rain droplets streamed down their cheeks in a rare reminder of home.
"They feel nostalgic," Sajjad said proudly.
Most UAE residents are foreigners, among them some 3.5 million Indians who make up the Gulf country's largest expatriate community.
Despite the use of advanced cloud-seeding technology, the UAE has an average yearly rainfall of just 50 to 100 millilitres.
Most of it falls during short but intense winter storms.
"While long-term averages remain low, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events has been increasing and is due to global warming," said Diana Francis, a climate scientist who teaches at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi.
In the summer, the country often gets less than five millilitres of rain, she said, usually falling away from the coastal areas where most of the population lives.
So rain-seekers must drive deep into the desert interior to have a chance of success.
An Indian expatriate, who gave her name only as Anagha and was on her first expedition into the desert last weekend, said she was "excited to see the rain".
"All of my family and friends are enjoying good rain and good climate and we are living here in the hot sun," she said.
The UAE endured its hottest April on record this year.
By contrast, April last year saw the UAE's heaviest rains in 75 years, which saw 259.5 mm of rainfall in a single day.
Four people died and the commercial hub of Dubai was paralysed for several days. Scientists of the World Weather Attribution network said the intense rains were "most likely" exacerbated by global warming.
"We couldn't enjoy it because it was flooded all over UAE," Anagha said. "This time we are going to see... rain coming to us in the desert."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Disasters loom over South Asia with forecast of a hotter, wetter monsoon
Temperatures are expected to be up to two degrees Celsius hotter than average across the region, with forecasts for above-average rains, according to a monsoon outlook released by Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on Wednesday. "Rising temperatures and more extreme rain raise the risk of water-induced disasters such as floods, landslides, and debris flows, and have longer-term impacts on glaciers, snow reserves, and permafrost," Arun Bhakta Shrestha, a senior adviser at ICIMOD, said in a statement. The summer monsoon, which brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall, is vital for agriculture and therefore for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and for food security in a region that is home to around two billion people. However, it also brings destruction through landslides and floods every year. Melting glaciers add to the volume of water, while unregulated construction in flood-prone areas exacerbates the damage. "What we have seen over the years are also cascading disasters where, for example, heavy rainfall can lead to landslides, and landslides can actually block rivers. We need to be aware about such possibilities," Saswata Sanyal, manager of ICIMOD's Disaster Risk Reduction work, told AFP. Last year's monsoon season brought devastating landslides and floods across South Asia and killed hundreds of people, including more than 300 in Nepal. This year, Nepal has set up a monsoon response command post, led by its National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. "We are coordinating to stay prepared and to share data and alerts up to the local level for early response. Our security forces are on standby for rescue efforts," said agency spokesman Ram Bahadur KC. Weather-related disasters are common during the monsoon season from June to September but experts say climate change, coupled with urbanisation, is increasing their frequency and severity. The UN's World Meteorological Organization said last year that increasingly intense floods and droughts are a "distress signal" of what is to come as climate change makes the planet's water cycle ever more unpredictable.
France 24
19 hours ago
- France 24
Canada town near Vancouver ready to evacuate as fire nears
A state of emergency has been declared in Squamish, British Columbia, just 64 kilometres (40 miles) north of Vancouver, a city where the greater metropolitan area population exceeds three million. British Columbia's emergency management department warned late Tuesday that some residents of Squamish district "must be ready to leave on short notice." Max Whittenburg, a 19-year-old Squamish resident, told AFP he was "in shock" to see the fire encroach so close to the community. "I've never seen a fire in Squamish, at all, ever," the skateboard coach said. "We've already prepared most of the stuff in our house just in case we do have to evacuate," he added. "We'll be ready to go." Luke Procter, also 19, said he was staying up late and rising early to prepare, including by helping his father "hook up the trailer to our jeep just in case we need to go." Marc-Andre Parisien, a researcher at the Canadian Forest Service, said fires near the coast like the one threatening Squamish are particularly worrying because "these are areas that did not traditionally burn." They remain less intense than fires further inland, but "we have more and more of them," he told AFP. Two years after a historically devastating summer, Canada is once again facing a massive fire season, with burned areas already exceeding year-to-date averages from recent years. More than 220 active fires were burning across the country Tuesday, with half of them considered out of control. More than 3.3 million hectares (12,700 square miles) have already been consumed by flames -- an area equivalent to the country of Belgium. Smoke from Canadian fires has reached Europe after drifting across the Atlantic Ocean. Increased risk Two provinces in central Canada -- Saskatchewan and Manitoba -- had rough starts to fire season, and had to declare a state of emergency at the end of May. There was positive news in Saskatchewan on Wednesday after what provincial Premier Scott Moe called "a vicious couple of weeks" combatting wildfires "that in some cases have virtually been unstoppable." Moe said that while the province is still confronting fires in northern Saskatchewan, roughly half of those who had been forced to evacuate are "gearing up" to return home. Mega wildfires are still burning in western Alberta, British Columbia, and in northern Ontario, the country's most populous province. In recent years, Canada has experienced warming at least twice as fast as the rest of the globe. Linked to human-induced climate change, rising temperatures lead to reduced snow, shorter and milder winters, and earlier summer conditions that promote fires, experts say. Environment Canada forecast this week that much of of the country was likely to see higher than normal temperatures throughout the summer. That, combined with dry spring conditions in several areas, "could increase the risk of wildfires in the coming months," the weather and climate agency said.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Canada town near Vancouver ready to evacuate as fire approaches
A state of emergency has been declared in Squamish, British Columbia, just 64 kilometres (40 miles) north of Vancouver, a city where the greater metropolitan area population exceeds three million. British Columbia's emergency management department warned in a late Tuesday post on X that some residents of Squamish district "must be ready to leave on short notice." Max Whittenburg, a 19-year-old Squamish resident, told AFP he was "in shock" to see the fire encroach so close to the community. "I've never seen a fire in Squamish, at all, ever," the skateboard coach said. "We've already prepared most of the stuff in our house just in case we do have to evacuate," he added. "We'll be ready to go." Luke Procter, also 19, said he was staying up late and rising early to prepare, including by helping his father "hook up the trailer to our jeep just in case we need to go." Marc-Andre Parisien, a researcher at the Canadian Forest Service, said fires near the coast like the one threatening Squamish are particularly worrying because "these are areas that did not traditionally burn." They remain less intense than fires further inland, but "we have more and more of them," he told AFP. Two years after a historically devastating summer, Canada is once again facing a massive fire season, with burned areas already exceeding year-to-date averages from recent years. More than 220 active fires were burning across the country Tuesday, with half of them considered out of control. More than 3.3 million hectares (12,700 square miles) have already been consumed by flames -- an area equivalent to the country of Belgium. Smoke from Canadian fires has reached Europe after drifting across the Atlantic Ocean. Increased risk In recent years, Canada has experienced warming at least twice as fast as the rest of the globe. Linked to human-induced climate change, rising temperatures lead to reduced snow, shorter and milder winters, and earlier summer conditions that promote fires, experts say. Environment Canada forecast this week that much of Canada was likely to see higher than normal temperatures throughout the summer. That, combined with dry spring conditions in several areas, "could increase the risk of wildfires in the coming months," Environment Canada said. Two provinces in central Canada -- Saskatchewan and Manitoba -- were hard-hit with rough starts to fire season, and had to declare a state of emergency at the end of May. Mega wildfires are now burning in western Alberta and British Columbia, as well as in northern Ontario, the country's most populous province. Now, more than a dozen new fires are detected daily across Canada -- often started accidentally by humans, but sometimes ignited by lightning strikes.
