Keep Calm and Stay Warm: NCMS busts UAE cyclone, twister, hurricane rumours

As UAE residents woke up Thursday morning to a spectacular lightning display in the stormy skies, the social media timelines exploded shortly after with stories of cyclones, tornadoes and hurricanes expected in the coming hours.

The directives by the UAE’s KHDA and the Ministry of Education to shut all schools across UAE, along with the Dubai Airshow closing down temporarily only added more fuel to the rumours that swirled across the country faster than any twister.

Emirates 24|7 spoke with the UAE’s National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology’s Mohammed Al Abri, who has dismissed all the stories as works of fiction.

He busted the top myths that were peppering social media timelines, saying: “There is no typhoon, cyclone, tornado, hurricane or twister that will hit the UAE this weekend.

“What we are experiencing is nothing but a cold front that will last this weekend, and peter out by Saturday evening.”

He urged UAE residents not to panic, continuing: “This sort of weather pattern is very normal for this time of year. In fact, back in 2006, on November 20 to be exact, we experienced exactly the same cold front passing through the country.

“There are no storms coming that will destroy anything. People must stop panicking.”

Some of the rumours that exploded online earlier today, included the Al Ain University closure due to an approaching twister, with a similar report of one being spotted in the western desert.

Al Abri continued: “What we experienced on Thursday morning is heavy to medium rain in Abu Dhabi, which will gradually move further up north towards Dubai, Sharjah and the northern emirates.”

When prompted further, he stated that Delma Island experienced the maximum showers since Wednesday evening, recording 189mm of rainfall, followed by Al Ruwais at 85mm.

“Al Sila and parts of the western region also experienced hail in the early hours on Thursday morning, and we would see more of this in the eastern mountains tomorrow,” he continued.

This “unstable weather” as he called it, will also result in a drop in temperatures, up to five degrees across the country, “while the surface temperature in the mountains could drop as low as three degrees Celsius by Friday night.”

However, NCMS warned residents to avoid the mountainous areas this weekend, and the low lying wadi areas, reiterating that there are very high chances of flash floods.

“Even beach goers and fishermen are warned, with waves reaching up to 12 feet at times,” he said.

Click to read: Spotted: 'Typhoon' in the Rain... Weather shuts Dubai Airshow, schools; event updates

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