Sarayat is active on March 20, accompanied by rain and weather disturbances

The Emirates Astronomy Society explained that during the period from March 20 to May 10, the country is witnessing the “Sarayat” phenomenon, which is spring weather disturbances that are strong or sometimes sudden and repetitive and may begin several days before that period, then it is called “Sarayat Precipitation.”

Sarayat is also known as “Maraweh” because the clouds “go” (come) in the afternoon or evening.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomical Society and member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, Ibrahim Al-Jarwan, said: The spring transitional period is characterized by rapid and continuous weather fluctuations, conditions of atmospheric instability or atmospheric disturbances, rapid cumulonimbus clouds forming within a short period, as a result of which heavy thunderstorms fall within a short period and are accompanied by violent downward winds that do not settle in a specific direction.

A regional cloud belt may form extending from Central and East Africa, crossing the Arabian Peninsula and the Arabian Gulf, and the country may witness heavy rains accompanied by thunder and lightning during that period.

He pointed out that during the “Sarayat Season,” the dry, moderately hot northern winds are active, and their speed may exceed 50 km/hour, and they may cause large amounts of dust and sandstorms, especially in desert and open areas, and wind directions may occur on the same day.

The formation of spring weather disturbances during the transitional period is due to the acceleration of the heating of the Earth’s surface due to the rise in temperatures, which may exceed 30°C, with the upper layers of the atmosphere maintaining their coolness. During the spring, with the presence of cold air in the upper layers of the atmosphere, there is a suitable cooling for the condensation of any humid air masses, and with the incursion of warm and humid air masses from central and eastern Africa, dense masses of cumulus thunderclouds arise.

He pointed out that the country has witnessed, in recent years, record levels of rainfall during this period, as the region was exposed to a deep air depression from March 8 to 10, 2024, accompanied by heavy rains, thunderstorms, and active winds. It also witnessed, between April 14 and 17, 2024, very heavy rains as a result of thunderstorms that the country witnessed, resulting in floods in several areas.