As I have no way to access news besides net and I'm not dumb enough to turn on my PC in a rain shower I have no idea why it rained.
BUT THERE WAS RAIN TODAY!
Everyday is the same pattern as the rest with little differences but when it rains in the Middle East (and other hot countries) people take notice and the whole day changes.
I was sitting with my husband when he went out for something quick so I peeked outside the door while herding the kids back so I could close the door and I saw an orangy-dusty sky.
"Oh, is it gonna rain today?" I ask him when he comes in, feeling stupid because this is July, it hardly ever rains in July.
"Naw," replied Hubby, "It's a sandstorm starting." He shrugs and sits down and we keep eating. I drop a few pieces of mac and cheese onto baby's feeding chair for him to grab and thoughtfully add,
"That's funny that the sky looks the same as sandstorms for rain." And no sooner was the word rain out of my mouth then fat smacks hit our roof in quick succession. I stared unbelievably at my ceiling as my husband looked utterly confused at the sound.
"RRRRRAAAAAAAAIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " I cry with such glee you would have thought i was a 7 year old promised to use his new yellow umbrella and puddle jumping boots. I rush to the other room to look out the window and the world had turned 7 shades darker. I grinned hearing the fat drops continue. I cheered exciting my daughter. "It's raining! It's raining! Let's see it!!!" I open the door cautiously as i wasn't wearing hijab. No neighbors peeking their heads out. I see dry sandals in front of our doorstep and look about confused until i see the neighboring door soaked and their sandals wet. The rain is coming in from the East, very odd, normally it comes north or west and soaks my door. By then the family has caught my rain fever. They jump up and I rush to grab my son so he can experience the rare phenomenon. I demand hubby take him into the rain to get wet (baby loves water) while i grab the camera. I also put my prayer hijab on. Then i rush outside to film my son and everyone laughing about the rain. It wasn't much just a general rainfall. It started slacking off for a bit and i was like ok it's gone so we started to troop back in. Hubby had to get ready for work because his co-worker showed up just then to take him to work. I waited a bit longer in the rain until suddenly these really fat drop hit us, i didn't mind them because it made my baby laugh. But the odd thing was they were COLD where the previous rain had been lukewarm. I was just pondering the change of raindrop temp when hubby dashes outside to get in the car, he's shoving his shoes on and recommends we head back inside. I dilly dally saying I was on my way and start ordering my daughter in when i hear the sleet begin of freezing cold rain and still I'm like it's ok for baby to experience this once. Daughter has manages to kick off one sandal and Hubby has gotten in the car and I turn to wave bye when suddenly
I SEE a wall of rain swoop past the garden and the car hubby just got in and the palm trees are swaying dangerously to one side. I'm protected by the corridor wall but the giant metal gates that have been stuck in the open position start rattling and swaying in the wind as if they were made out of straw. Daughter has managed her second sandal by then and I shove her into the house shouting, "Oh my God, It's a hurricane!" The wind is kicking muddy sand everywhere so I plop baby down on the floor (and he cries at the abandonment) and turn to close the door. Just then I see the sandals starting to fly around and think 'I must save them". I fetch a plastic bag and order my kids back from the door and brave the elements. I'm shoving sandal after sandal into the bag trying to keep my prayer hijab from flying off when a loud crash sounds to my right. I jump startled since i had been focusing on the ground. My neighbor's shoe cabinet had been tossed across the small hallway to my wall. My eyes widened shocked and the gates swung madly so I grabbed my shoe bag and tossed it in the house and sigh with relief as I close the door firmly grimacing at the mud blown in. I rub my eyes achingly since grit had hit them. I peal off my soaked hijab and lay it to dry on my ironing board but I hear a flapping sound. I rush to the computer/play room to see the thin board covering the hole where you can install an AC flapping (since hubby hadn't gotten around to sealing it closed yet...) and letting mud and rain come pouring in directly onto my computer. I quickly grab a plastic sheet used for ramadan floor meals and wrap it around the monitor but already a few inches of water is on the floor. I snap off the outlet's power (a good thing they do in this country have on/off switches for each socket) and grab floor towels to soak the water before it can run off into any wires. I drape more floor rags over the main computer itself and the outlet. Satisfied I turn back to my astonished kids who are just staring at the flapping board. I'm enjoying the breeze blowing in that is cool and refreshing. Then about five minutes later it died down and stopped completely. My husband calls me right then and says he's having a hurricane force go past his workshop. On the way to work two trees fell down into the road, scary stuff. And later that night he told me the water container (the size of a spa jacuzzi) on the roof that was empty cause a lot of damage to the area as it was flung about in the winds.
I was pondering where did this sudden rain come from? Was there a freak hurricane off of Oman that rode a skip and a jump to AL-Ain? Did Dubai and Abu-Dhabi get this action? Habayeb let me know k. Or was this a result of man-made weather? I didn't believe it either when i first heard of it but apparently if you have the money and equipment you can try to produce rain. You need certain chemicals and an airplane that can fly really high. They release the chemicals into a cloud i believe then it causes these freak storms. A man who works under my husband who's been here in AL-AIn for over 12 years says if they put too much of the chemicals it makes the storms too fierce and people have died. I was just shocked and incredulous. I'm a desert girl and I have never heard of man-made weather.... we just waited for the monsoon seasons in Tucson, AZ, USA. So maybe this was part of the gov. plans to welcome in the holiday tomorrow for the Prophet Muhammad's accession to the Heavens. No matter how it came it was a relief. Energizing, awe-inspiring, forces of nature. Masha'Allah. I gave my daughter a lesson about, Allah is the one who Created the rains, thunder, lightening, winds and we have to say alhamdulliah that we are safe and that baba is safe at work too.
"Alhamdulliah, baba is safe." she smiled.
Alhamulillah indeed that our mini-hurricane didn't last long. But it was spectacular.
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UPDATE: I found this finally on
Gulf News about the rain...
"Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit Al Ain and its surrounding areas yesterday afternoon.
The rain was accompanied by strong winds that first kicked up sand and later blew away satellite dish antennae. Numerous trees, road signs and signs were broken.
The rain started at 4.45pm and lasted until 5.10pm in the downtown area. Rainwater also accumulated on different roads, forcing drivers to take extra care.
It was a welcome respite for residents who have been suffering from a heatwave which has hit the region for the past several weeks.
A meteorologist said the dust storm was caused by atmospheric low pressure that is currently moving over Oman and Saudi Arabia and also extending to the UAE.
He said Al Ain had earlier been recorded as the hottest city in the country, followed by Liwa where the maximum temperature was recorded as 47C (the ground level temperature was 50).
Meanwhile people in Ras Al Khaimah braved temperatures of 46C.
Over the last few days, the mercury has shot up and broken Al Ain's top temperature record. The temperature went up to 48C (ground level 52C) recently."
Ahh good so it wasn't false rain alhamdulliah ;) By the way before it began to rain my thermometor in the room with no AC (that half-boarded up AC hole from the above account remeber) said 100 degrees F and i was like Ugh it's 100 in this room!?!?! And me and the kids are in it everyday.... alhamdulliah at least the bedroom has an ac and we have fans in the house. some people don't even have one ac.. poor them :( .
Onto face the humidity in Dubai and Sharja tomorrow. Sorry Hab it was short notice and I couldn't contact you. :(
