After temperatures rose to up to 40 degrees Celsius in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the start of July, a sudden weather swing into rains, thunderstorms and air fluctuations on Monday afternoon hit car drivers by surprise.

Local weather stations said that the eastern part of the UAE was hit in particular by the changing day climate, as raising dust winds and heavy rains poured on the emirates of Sharjah, Ajman and Ras al-Khaima. Temperatures plummeted to below 30 degrees Celsius.

There, the weather swing started late Sunday and eventually reached more parts of the Gulf state, including Dubai. In the west of Dubai, view on the streets declined to less than one kilometer. Local radio channels aired police warnings to car drivers to reduce speed.

Rainfall during the ultra-hot summer months is extremely rare in the UAE which is mostly covered with deserts and some mountain areas in the north-east.

No disruptions of air traffic at the UAE's international airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al-Khaima and Fujairah have been reported as yet.