Snow falls in the Persian Gulf

For the first time in recorded history a measurable amount of snow fell in the mountains of the United Arab Emirates.

Nearly 20 centimeters (about seven inches) of snow blanketed Jess Mountain, a 6,200-foot peak in the Ras al Khaimah emirate. Locals say that snow fell on Jess Mountain twice before - in 2004 and 1994 - but this was the first time it ever fell in measurable amounts.


Some of Jess Mountain's desert flora in the snow

Ironically Dubai, one of the other emirates, is home to one of the world's first indoor ski slopes, previously the only place you could see snow in the UAE.