In the hot summer period on the Arabian Peninsula - the season of chamalis.
This summer in the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Peninsula as a whole is rich in dust storms. The blame for all is the hot and dry northwestern wind of shamal, bringing sand from the Rub-Al-Khali desert.
Summer shamali begin on May 30 and blow until mid-August. The traditional inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula during this period always tightly locked windows and doors and did not leave their homes without emergency.
Doctors advise modern residents to adhere to the same rules, and, going out into the street, close their mouths and noses with cotton-gauze bandages. In addition, during a dust storm, you need to be especially careful on the tracks - at this time the number of accidents rises sharply.
Shamal is a northwest wind that blows over the territory of Iraq and the Gulf states. During the day, usually strong, weakens by night. The appearance of shamal is promoted by strong northwest winds coming from the territory of Turkey and Syria and heading along the Persian Gulf to the high plains in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. Most often, the wind intensifies during the spring-summer period.
At this time of the year, the polar jet stream, heading south, approaches the subtropical jet stream in the south. This proximity contributes to the formation of strong, dry, cold fronts, which in turn form a shamal. A strong shamal wind forms in front and behind the front. In Iraq, shamal reigns from 20 to 50 days a year.
According to folklore, the first shamal appearing around May 25 is called al-Huffar (digger), as he digs deep depressions in the dunes of deserts. The second shamal, appearing in early June, coincides with As-Suraiya (the star of the dawn) and therefore is called Bahir Suraiya. During this period of shamal, considered the most cruel, fishermen do not go to sea, as according to legend, this wind destroys ships. The last shamal appears by the end of June. He is called ad-Dabaran (follower). He is strong enough and lasts several days.
