An unexpected curtain of rain turned the stillness of Masafi’s mountain lanes into a moment of spectacle: gushing waterfalls where there was only quiet and the sound of rolling boulders where only the wind previously flowed. On Sunday afternoon, torrential rains in the eastern Hajar foothills of the UAE sent rocks plunging onto roads, carved temporary waterfalls down the slopes, and transformed rampaging wadis into rushing streams — a reminder of how a desert could return to infamous and sudden wetness.
Clips circulating on social media showed drivers cautiously navigating the major roadway around giant boulders that spilt onto a main thoroughfare, as many curious spectators stopped to photograph the new waterfalls that sprouted practically overnight. The sites were picturesque enough to draw a crowd, but they belied real danger: reduced visibility, slick surfaces, and the threat of falling debris that were humanly impossible to predict. Local broadcasting stations and social media weather accounts captured both the spectacle and the danger; the sights were recorded vividly in a streamed, near-real-time video.
Masafi, a village located on the border of Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah, sits at the inland edge of the Hajar Mountains and marks the head of Wadi Ham, a valley system which drains the jumbled, rugged uplands to the east. Its name, genealogically related to the fresh water and falaj, explains why mountain rains can be so quickly absorbed by the landscape: the wadis direct runoff, accumulating water and debris into deceptively narrow ways. This natural choreography makes Masafi particularly picturesque – and especially susceptible to flash flooding.
Meteorologists cautioned that the splotchy cloud cover was not an anomaly. The UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology issued yellow and orange alerts for the eastern region due to a low-pressure system moving in from the Arabian Sea that has been pushing moisture into the Gulf and feeding convective clouds over the mountains. Authorities advised motorists to drive cautiously, not traverse waterlogged stretches, and keep up to date with official updates as more showers and gusty winds were anticipated.
Why do these mountains send down rocks across the road? The Hajar range represents an old weathered spine of primarily greatly weathered igneous rock complexes and ophiolites. The steep slopes, fractured bedrock and sudden saturation after heavy rains create unstable slopes – exactly the ingredients for rockfalls and rapid sediment flows that can cover a roadway in a matter of seconds. Geomorphologists who work in the area comment on how episodic storms reshape mountain-front fans and wadis in dramatic bursts.
From a human perspective, the message is simple: while the views and cell phone videos are exhilarating, safety comes first. The waterfalls may be Instagram-perfect, and Masafi’s markets and springs may seem like they come from another time, but the mountains that make the town pretty can, in one heavy storm, turn beauty to hazard. Officials are concerned about road conditions and have urged everyone to respect road closure signs and weather advisories while the hills settle down.
