Skip to content

UAE: A hailstorm in the desert? Rare weather phenomenon shocks residents

Large hailstones were seen covering roads in the United Arab Emirates, after a rare hailstorm struck the region.

Some locals were shocked to see the falling hail, which caused damage to homes and vehicles, according to local media.

But is this weather phenomenon really so exceptional for a desert nation?

BBC Weather's Elizabeth Rizzini has the answer.

Video produced by Ian Casey and Alexandra Ostasiewicz.

Filmed by James Wignall.

Edited by Gianluca Avagnina.

13 February 2024

United Arab Emirates

Explore More

BBC Scotland weather presenter Christopher Blanchett in front of a weather map of Scotland showing snow warnings.

Watch the Storm Bert weather forecast for Scotland

Weather

Strong winds and flooding as Storm Bert arrives

A man walks in front of an uprooted tree, the roots of which tower over him

Fallen trees cause widespread damage after bomb cyclone

Science & Environment

Three people help each other walk through water flooding down a street.

Watch: Málaga flood turns street into river

Several cars piled up against a bridge in Spain

Watch: Cars washed away as new flash floods hit Spain

Destroyed house and cars in Oklahoma City

Aerial footage shows damage left by Oklahoma tornadoes

Queen Letizia, with mud on her face, cries as she visits Paiporta in flood-hit Valencia

Queen Letizia in tears on visit to flood-hit Valencia

The BBC's Mark Lowen stands amidst scenes of chaos and flooding damage in Paiporta, the worst hit suburb of Valencia

BBC reporter in Valencia: 'The fury is extraordinary to see'

Flood waters gushing down street in Spanish town

Video shows first wave of flood water gushing through town in Valencia

A head and shoulders crop of Bethany Bell as she reports live from flood devastated Paiporta, with a car and building behind her and what looks like silt from floodwaters on the ground

'We all know someone who has died'

Cars are piled in the street with other debris after flash floods hit parts of southern Spain

Watch: Helicopters and diggers used in rescues as flooding causes chaos in Spain

Dust tornado

Dust tornado and lightning captured on camera in UAE

A yellow alert for high winds gusting up to 60 mph (97km/h) covers the whole of Scotland

Weather forecast ahead of Storm Ashley

Science & Environment

Farmer Mema Fwa standing in a waterlogged field of dead crops

‘When I saw my farm submerged, I was confused’

Debris of destroyed house in St. Lucie, Florida

Drone footage shows Hurricane Milton damage in Florida

Sumi Somaskanda speaking with Wellington residents after a tornado

Inside a tornado-ravaged street after Hurricane Milton

A boy sits half submerged in water as a Sheriff stands nearby

Sheriff rescues 14-year-old stranded on floating hurricane debris

A picture of a tornado at the end of a road, with cars on it, and a white flash inside it

Watch: Damage assessed after hurricane smashes through Florida

A TV reporter holding a microphone and a dog wearing a yellow jacket

Dog survives hurricane that killed owners in Florida

Sarah Smith delivering a report in front of a flooded house

BBC correspondent surveys Milton damage in Orlando

Adam Kassak (on the left) and Ali Baydoun smile at the camera with their arms crossed in front of their chests

Beirut: Meet the TikTokers filming destroyed homes

In Beirut, two TikTokers are filming the damage caused by Israeli air strikes for families who have fled.

Damaged building in Iran

Strikes on Tehran another big escalation - Jeremy Bowen

Israel has launched air strikes on Iran, with blasts heard in the capital Tehran.

Projectiles in sky over Tehran

Projectiles seen in sky over Tehran

Israel says it has conducted "precise strikes on military targets" in Iran.

Daniel Hagari

Watch: Israeli military announces strikes in Iran

Rear Adm Daniel Hagari says the strikes are in response to Iran "relentlessly attacking" Israel.

The BBC's Orla Guerin is taken on a tour of Al Sahel Hospital in Beirut

BBC tours hospital Israel says sits above millions in Hezbollah gold

The BBC’s Orla Guerin is taken on a tour of Al Sahel Hospital in Beirut.

Yahya Sinwar

BBC Verify analyses footage of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's killing

The BBC's analysis editor Ros Atkins looks at footage said to show Yahya Sinwar's final moments.

A person sitting in an armchair outlined in red in IDF video

IDF drone footage 'shows Sinwar in final moments'

Drone footage released by the Israeli military on Thursday is said to show Sinwar in the moments before he was killed.

Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu says focus on hostages after Sinwar death

Sinwar, who topped Israel's most-wanted list, was a key figure believed to have been behind the 7 October attacks.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, in the BBC newsroom

What the death of Yahya Sinwar means for the Middle East

The Israel Defense Forces say it has killed the Hamas leader, the man seen as responsible for 7 October.

Hammoud and Khalid

‘I say bye to my kids, in case we don’t wake up’ – two Gazans film a year under attack by Israel

Over the past year, Aya and Khalid have been filming their lives for a BBC documentary.

BBC Verify analyses footage from Gaza strikes

The BBC's Nick Eardley examines what we know about the latest Israeli strikes on Gaza.

Nick Eardley from BBC Verify

BBC Verify examines air strike patterns in Beirut

Lebanon's health ministry says 22 people have died and more than 117 were left wounded after air strikes in central Beirut.

A composite image showing a strike and Nick Eardley talking to camera

BBC Verify examines footage revealing scale of damage in Lebanon

BBC Verify’s Nick Eardley analyses videos that reveal the extent of damage caused by Israeli strikes.

A woman sitting in a garden

How do young Palestinians and Israelis see their future?

Jeremy Bowen speaks to young Palestinians and Israelis about the ongoing war and how they see the future.

The BBC's Rushdi Abualouf

‘Daily challenge to get stories out of Gaza’ - BBC's Rushdi Abualouf

The BBC's Rushdi Abualouf sheds light on the challenges of reporting the war from inside and outside of Gaza.

Two people hug at an event remembering victims of Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel

Israel remembers victims of 7 October attack a year on

Events have taken place across Israel to commemorate the victims of Hamas's attack.

Hadas Kalderon

Israeli hostage family's fight 'not over' one year on

On the one-year anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attacks in Israel, survivor Hadas Kalderon speaks to the BBC.

Explosion in Beirut, Lebanon

Powerful explosion rocks Beirut overnight

Multiple blasts shake the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital amid Israeli air strikes.

Hugo Bachega in Beirut

'Bags of sweets amid rubble of flattened Beirut building'

The BBC's Hugo Bachega reports from the scene of an overnight Israeli strike in Lebanon.

Explosion in Beirut

Moment huge explosion shakes Beirut

Footage shows a fireball rising above Lebanon's capital overnight following another strike on the city.