by Jonathan Sanger

Popular Instagram and Twitter accounts from the Emirates are documenting the extreme and stormy weather hitting Gulf countries this summer.

The page for the accounts, called “Storm Center,” publishes startling footage taken by local storm chasers, showing how the Middle Eastern desert deals with rainfalls, strong winds, and floods in what should be one of the driest months of the year.

Due to a combination of cloud seeding and natural weather phenomena, the Gulf is witnessing a rare weather event and rainfall in peak summer. According to a meteorologist at the UAE National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology NCMS, cloud seeding has successfully brought rains over parts of the country. The rains are a result of the towering cloud formation that brought about winds coming from the mountains of Oman and the UAE, combined with high humidity from the seas and the prevalent high temperatures.

The current rains come only a week after a brutal wave of heat scorched other parts in the region. Summers in the Gulf states can reach temperatures of around 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Storm Center” is asking locals to send their own videos through WhatsApp and another mobile app to update people on the unusual weather around Middle Eastern countries.

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