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29 March 2024

Unstable weather; rain, strong winds, 10ft waves

Published
By Bindu Rai

UPDATE: The spattering of showers over the past 24 hours will make way for different intensities of rainfall across the UAE today and tomorrow, with affected areas to include Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the northern and western internal areas.

The UAE’s National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) has issued an alert about the unstable weather conditions, warning of the occasional strong winds and ‘very rough’ seas that could see wave height reach 10 feet.

In a weather alert issued on Thursday morning, the country’s forecaster further said: “Unstable weather ahead, with the cloud amount increasing over different areas associated with some towering clouds and different intensities of rainfall over scattered areas, especially during night and Friday morning.”

The NCMS continued: “Moderate to fresh winds in general, strong at times, will affect especially over the sea and exposed areas causing blowing dust and sand and low visibility.

“The sea is rough to very rough with cloud activity over Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea.”

The weather will continue in a similar pattern on Friday, with rain affecting internal areas of Abu Dhabi, including Liwa, along with Al Ain and the northern internal areas of the country.

A low-pressure system has been sweeping across the Gulf, bringing rain and the occasional thunderstorms to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Qatar Meteorology has also warned of thunderstorms over the country on Thursday, while flashflood warning have been issued for parts of Saudi, east of Riyadh.

Earlier Story:

After reports of rainfall in Ras Al Khaimah on Wednesday morning, more showers have been reported in Al Hamra and Dalma Island by late afternoon.

The UAE’s weather forecaster has also issued a warning regarding gushing southeasterly winds, which have hindered horizontal visibility to less than 1,000 metres as sand and dust blows across open areas.

The areas particularly affected around 3pm include the western and internal areas of UAE, while a shroud of haze covers Dubai and Abu Dhabi city.

Earlier Story:

As the mercury reached 18.4 degrees Celsius on Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah, the temperatures are finally cooling off and rain commenced in the district of Shaam around 9am, according to the country’s Met office.

A low pressure system moving across the Gulf will bring rain and the occasional thunderstorm to the UAE over the next three days.

Scattered showers are expected to hit the western part of the country in the early hours of Wednesday, with winds picking up speed to raise dust and sand over open areas and reducing visibility.

The system will gain momentum in the late hours of the day, bringing rainfall to areas such as Liwa, Madinat Zayed and Al Ruwais, with the wet weather extending to Dubai, Sharjah and other parts of the Northern Emirates by Thursday.

A spokesperson with the UAE's National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) told Emirates 24|7 that the system affecting the UAE is an extension of the weather that is being experienced in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

“The UAE is under the effect of a surface low pressure system that is moving from southwest to the east, which is associated with different intensities of rainfall and gushing wind speeds,” he said.

“By the early hours of Wednesday, the southwest region of UAE and the islands will experience scattered showers with moderate to fresh winds, which could be gushing at times to reach strengths of speeds up to 70km per hour,” the spokesperson added.

Areas that could also be affected include Al Ghuwaifat and Khalifa City.

The towerin‎g clouds will increase over the UAE by Thursday, stretching the wet weather towards Al Ain and other coastal areas that include Dubai, Sharjah and the northern emirates.

By Friday, parts of Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah may also experience the occasional thunderstorm, even as rough seas will continue across three days with wave height reaching six to eight feet at intervals in the Arabian Gulf and the Oman Sea.

However, the good news is, the soaring temperatures that the UAE has been experiencing – reaching highs off 41 degrees Celsius on Tuesday – will finally plummet by Friday by eight degrees or so.

Over the past 24 hours the weather system has brought isolated showers to Qatar, while Saudi Arabia has been experiencing thunderstorms and drop in Mercury west of Riyadh, with flashflood warnings in place.

EARLIER REPORT: Rainfall, rough seas and poor visibility alert

The Meteorology Department of the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology, NCMS, has issued a weather report for Tuesday to Friday, saying that on Tuesday and Wednesday the UAE will be affected by a surface low pressure extending over the south western areas of the Arab Peninsula associated with different amounts of clouds from the west and southwest.

The weather will be partly cloudy and hazy in general, with rise in temperatures by Tuesday over some areas. Cloud amounts will gradually increase over some areas of Abu Dhabi Emirate by afternoon and night, especially westward towards Al Ruwais, the western islands and some southern interiors, with a chance of scattered rain.

The winds will be moderate to fresh, 18 - 28 Km per hour, reaching 40 Kph over some areas, and causing blowing dust over exposed areas. The sea will be moderate in the Arabian Gulf, rough at times with cloud activity, and moderate in the Sea of Oman.

The low pressure is expected to deepen in the upper layers from Wednesday night to Friday.

As a result, huge cloud amounts will move from the southwest and west toward the state. The weather will become unstable. Cloud amounts will increase occasionally, and probably associated with some towering clouds and different intensities of scattered rain, starting from west of Abu Dhabi and including Al Ghuwaifat, Al Ruwais, Madinat Zayed, Liwa, and extending over Al Ain and different parts of the Northern Emirates, especially the coasts.

The winds will freshen at times, reaching 55 Kph with towering clouds, and causing blowing dust and sand with poor visibility at times over exposed areas, with an associated fall of temperatures. Sea will be rough at times in the Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea.

NCMS advices all to take care in case of poor visibility due to blowing dust, raised sand, and the rainfall. It also warns mariners to avoid going to sea during this period due to the rough waves, especially during cloud activity.