Cold blast hits the Middle East

A sudden chill has swept across the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq, causing temperatures to plummet.

The Qatari capital, Doha, which had been enjoying temperatures of 27C, suddenly saw the temperature struggle to reach just 18C.

The cool air was brought in by strong winds. They were gusting up to 48kph, which made the weather feel even colder.

This came as something of a shock to those living in the city, and caused a sudden surge in sales of heaters.

Many people had to dig their warm clothes out of their wardrobes for the first time this season, and babies were spotted dressed in balaclavas.

The drop in temperature was caused by a cold front that pushed across the region from the north.

This weather system brought snow across the mountains in northern Iraq. Further south, there was no snow, but it became decidedly chilly.

Baghdad’s temperature only climbed to 13C on December 7, and at night the temperature dropped to a chilly 1C.

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia also experienced the cool snap, with temperature topping at 12C and 13C respectively.

This is far cooler than the average at this time of year. Usually Riyadh would expect a daytime maximum of 21C and Kuwait would hope for 18C.

The cool wind lasted for three days before it began to ease. Over the next few days the temperature across the region should begin to return to normal.