Weekend weather: Rain, strong winds in UAE

Update: Residents of Dubai and Sharjah were woken up in the morning hours on Friday as the low pressure system gained strength, rattling windows with strong, gusting winds.

Thunder and lightning was reported in Bur Dubai, while residents in Sharjah were warning others of flying debris on the roads.

One Dubai resident said: "I actually felt my building shake and that's what initially woke me from my slumber. It was around 5am."

The UAE’S Met office also reported of ‎moderate to heavy rain associated with lightning and thunder over Abu Dhabi and adjoining areas and coastal areas of northern Emirates‎.

Hours later, residents of Dubai are still reporting moderate rainfall in some areas of the city.
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As the storm passed and the winds lost.

A low pressure system sweeping across the Gulf region has blown in unstable weather, which has affected the UAE with scattered showers, along with hail and thunderstorms in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia.

On Thursday, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait were also reporting thunderstorms, with more rainfall expected this weekend.

The UAE’s forecaster, the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), has stated the unstable weather pattern will continue for another 48 hours, bringing scattered showers across different intensities, while fresh winds may hinder visibility.

The weather on Friday ‎will witness cloud amount increase over different areas, with "some towering clouds associated with scattered rain of different intensities over Abu Dhabi, along with Liwa and Al Ain areas and some areas of the northern Emirates," the NCMS stated.

Moderate to fresh winds will result in blowing dust, with poor visibility at times over the exposed areas.

The sea will be rough, very rough at times especially with cloud activity in the Arabian Gulf and in the Oman Sea, with wave height averaging eight feet.

The weather on Saturday will be partly cloudy and hazy in general , with the cloud amount increasing over some areas, especially towards south and north of UAE, with chance of rainfall over scattered areas of Abu Dhabi, including Qasyoura and Al Ain.

Moderate to fresh winds will continue to cause  poor visibility at times over the exposed areas with drop in temperatures.

A marine warning will remain in place.

Further west and Saudi Arabia's eastern province has been battling its own heavy rainfall, with hail recorded on Thursday; some schools were also closed due to waterlogging.

Meanwhile, Qatar Meteorology also reported thunder rains in the northewestern and central areas of the country, late Thursday, stretching towards Doha.

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