According to The National Center of Meteorology (NCM) temperatures across the UAE dropped to 3.6°C o February 15 – its lowest yet. Great excuse to bundle up indoors or take advantage of the colder weather, quite frankly.
The NCM tweeted that the temperature was recorded in Raknah at 4.30am, and has continued to send out regular updates.
#المركز_الوطني_للأرصاد#Øالة_البØر #الخليج_العربي #بØر_عمان #طقس_اليوم#NCM #Arabian_Gulf #Oman_Sea pic.twitter.com/IGyQHGiQTz
— المركز الوطني للأرصاد (@NCMS_media) February 16, 2020
The drop in temperature would also likely affect visibility owing to fog formation, so the NCM also urged motorists to take all precautions, particularly between 1am and 10am on Saturday.
Equally surprising, Saudi Arabia reported a record cold spell with temperatures dropping to -5°C. This is the coldest weather in the Kingdom since 2016. According to media outlets, the temperature in the capital Riyadh dipped close to zero and the streets were deserted on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Further afield in Tarif, on the border with Jordan, the temperature also reportedly hit -5°C, and the weather dropped to -3°C in Hail further southeast, and -2°C in Arar on the border with Iraq. Baghdad residents woke up on Tuesday to find the city carpeted in white from only its second snowfall in a century, the first recorded snowfall taking place in 2008.