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28 March 2024

UAE weather wreaks havoc: 1 dead, rough seas ground barges

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By Staff

The stormy weather that has been plaguing the UAE for the last week or so left a more tangible trail of destruction over the last few days.

The Central Operation room of Sharjah Police reported at least one person who had died in a serious car accident because of the bad weather, but declined to give further information about the incident.

According to Wam, two barges ran aground at Al Hamriya Port in Sharjah due to bad weather conditions.

No losses were reported in both incidents.

According to media reports a further three large ships were forced to anchor off the cornice because of the weather.

The forecast for today was hazy and partly cloudy weather with the northwesterly winds still blowing across most areas, causing dust and sand to blow on land and leaving the sea very rough.

One of the barges is used for marine survey, while the other is for cargo.

Captain Moutesim Dafallah Nadher of Al Hamriya Port said in a statement issued by the Sharjah Media Centre today that the first barge, called Al Hafar 2, is allocated for marine survey ran aground between Ajman and Al Hamriya Port, adding that the two sailors aboard the vessel were rescued and no losses were suffered in the incident.

He added that the second barge, called Surya Sorka, is a cargo barge, adding that a sailor aboard was also rescued by Sharjah Police.

He noted that the barge, which is now berthed at the main Al Hamriya Port, was not loaded with cargo when the incident occurred.

Nadher said the two barges ran aground because of bad weather.

Meanwhile, After an unexpected increase in UAE temperatures last week, mercury is set to dip to 2°C today as cold northwesterly Shamal winds coning from Saudi Arabia batter the emirates.

According to the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), Thursday and Friday saw an extension of low pressure from the eastern parts of Saudi Arabia, which caused an increase in temperatures, noticeable over some areas particularly the western and interior areas like Al Jazeera B.G. where it was recorded 37°C and Owtaid 36.9°C, and the weather remained dusty over those areas.

The weatherman is predicting “another fall in temperatures” with temperatures dipping to 2°C in the UAE’s mountainous belts, 4°C in internal areas and 11°C in coastal regions.

At the same time, high-speed winds – up to 70km per hour – are expected to keep the seas rough, and fisherman and beachgoers are being advised to maintain caution.

According to NCMS, the weather is expected to remain bad for another two days, with offshore waves reaching up to 9ft in height.

The current warning level for most of UAE’s coastal areas is yellow, which advises residents and tourists to “be on the lookout if you go in for outdoor activities which may involve risks in the event of bad weather forecast from time to time.”

A strong dust storm blowing in Dubai is causing traffic slowdowns in various parts of the emirate, with the Met Office warning drivers to maintain extra caution due to increasing wind speed.