A rare hailstorm in Kuwait, one of the hottest desert countries on the planet, brought joy to residents on Wednesday as scientists worry about the consequences of climate change in the wealthy Gulf state.
“We haven’t seen such a large amount of hail in winter in 15 years,” former director of Kuwait’s meteorology department Mohammed Karam told AFP.
The hail fell on Wednesday but also on Tuesday in Oum al-Haiman, about 50 kilometers south of the capital that bears the same name as the country. Children donned warm clothes to catch hail while netizens flooded social media with photos and videos of roads partially covered in hail.
Up to 63mm of rain fell in some areas, weather services said, saying the weather was expected to improve from Wednesday.
The country is in danger of becoming uninhabitable
While hailstorms are “rare” in Kuwait, they could increase in the coming years due to global climate change, warns Mohammed Karam.
The oil-rich Gulf country experiences very hot summers and risks becoming uninhabitable at certain times of the year as the planet warms, scientists say. In 2016, the mercury there registered a world record, with 54 degrees Celsius.
In some parts of the country, temperatures could rise 4.5 degrees above historical averages between 2071 and 2100, according to the Public Environmental Authority.
Source: BFM TV
