UAE weather: Rain turns the Sharjah desert green

The usually arid plains are now covered with a carpet of green after days of downpours

Recent rainfall has brought new growth to the desert of Mleiha in Sharjah. All pictures: Pawan Singh / The National

The rains have encouraged new flowers to grow

Shrubs are thriving in the desert

And the dry land turned into an oasis

The desert is now a carpet of green

Heavy rain has hit the UAE over the past week, leading to some schools closing and roads being sealed off.

But the downpours had another effect — the greening of the Sharjah desert.

Images shot by The National’s staff photographer Pawan Singh on Sunday captured the aftermath of several days of sustained rain on the usually parched land near Mleiha.

They show new wildflowers, thriving shrubs and a fresh carpet of green lining the desert plains along the road from Sharjah to Kalba.

Torrential rain started to fall in the UAE early last week and continued until Friday.

The downpours have stopped for now but temperatures remain low for the time of year. The National Centre of Meteorology on Sunday said the lowest temperature recorded across the UAE overnight was 1.9°C in Jebel Jais at 4.15am.

It forecast a low of 3ºC during the day in rural and mountainous locations, and a high of 22ºC in the hottest part of the day.

Temperatures dip across UAE — in pictures