Rain in the Middle East  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

It's raining in the Middle East and bloggers are taking to their keyboards to register their thoughts about the change in climate.
We kick off our round up with Stilettos in the Sand from Saudi Arabia, who writes:
We are in for heavy rain. It has rained quite hard in other parts of the Sandbox, but we've gotten only a few drops and sprinkles, here. Rain is good. We look forward to it and relish it. A good rain cleanses everything and turns the trees green and lush – so much prettier than the tan and gray we are so used to and it controls the dust. If it is overcast all day today and we finally get some rain you will hear no complaining from me!
Our second stop is in Libya, where Khadija Teri welcomes the rain too. She notes:
The rains have finally come, accompanied by lightening and thunder. The weather is cooler and the dust has settled. We'll see how treacherous the roads are today. Usually the first big rains bring on flooding because the drain systems in the roads are clogged with sand and garbage. But never mind – no one expects anyone to be on time in weather like this.
Speaking of treacherous roads, Seabee, from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is happy that this year rain wasn't blamed for road accidents, but that the drivers were.
Here's a picture taken by Seabee showing the dark clouds which gathered in Dubai's sky:
When the first drops fell from the sky, Seabee predicted that the rain will be blamed:
Woke up this morning to a strange darkness, peered out and saw gray clouds and wet ground.
We had the first rain of the season.
So here's a prediction.
Tomorrow's papers will report chaos on the roads, including multiple crashes.
The rain will be to blame.
Motorists will be exonerated. Driving inappropriately in the conditions will not be the cause.
The rain dunnit.
Kuwait too had a change in weather and intlxpatr, who reports that the mornings are chilly, posts this picture of the light fluffy clouds which have gathered in the sky, signaling some rain:
From Israel, Dr Savta also reports nicer weather.
Lately the weather has been beautiful. Yes, even those couple of days of rain were beautiful. The heat of the summer is gone and it’s still warm enough to go out without a sweater. If it were only like this all year round!
But for one Israeli mother, A Soldier's Mother, the rains summon a different feeling. She writes:
Now, the rain means Elie and the soldiers are probably wet; the winter means they may be cold; the summer means they are hot and likely uncomfortable. I've always loved thunder and lightning, the power of the storm fills me with awe. But the world of wind and rain is less friendly when you have a son outside in it.