Parts of the UAE were lashed by more heavy rain and dust storms on Thursday as the country's <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2023/08/09/uae-weather-possible-heavy-rain-and-thunder-in-east-and-south-until-saturday/" target="_blank">weather bureau</a> urged people to remain vigilant. Sharjah, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah faced further downpours during the afternoon, after bouts of wild weather across the Emirates in recent days. The National Centre of Meteorology had earlier forecast rain and high winds in the Eastern region would last until about 9pm. It said wind speeds could reach 50kph and called on members of the public to “be aware” of inclement conditions if venturing outdoors. In a later notice it warned of the threat posed by strong winds and spells of low visibility. "Caution should be taken during heavy rainfall and strong winds from the convective clouds over the Eastern, Northern areas extending over some internal areas, which can cause low visibility and the falling of solid objects" the NCM said on social media. "Please stay away from areas of flash flooding and accumulated rain and hail." In Fujairah, motorists navigated hazardous conditions as dust blanketed the skies and rainfall-soaked roads. The NCM said on Wednesday there would be rainfall of varying intensities, with possible thunder and lightning over parts of the country until Saturday. It said the worst of the weather would affect the east and south, and extend inland and to the Al Dhafrah region. The weather bureau said the rain was due to the Intertropical Convergence Zone affecting the region. The ITCZ is a band of low pressure which generally lies near the equator. It is moving towards the south of the Emirates and is accompanied by movement of low pressure. As a result, the flow of moist air mass from the Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman, along with the increased temperatures leads to the formation of rainy clouds. It was a wet start to the week for many in Dubai and Sharjah following <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2023/08/07/uae-weather-more-rain-on-the-way-after-dubai-and-sharjah-hit-by-storms/">stormy weather at the weekend</a>. Dubai authorities received more than 100 emergency calls during unstable weather on Saturday, as trees were felled by high winds and roads became waterlogged. A number of shop fronts and building facades were damaged due to powerful gusts of winds which swept through Sharjah over the weekend. On Sunday, Dubai Municipality announced the temporary closure of public parks from 6pm “due to the prevailing weather”. The parks reopened on Monday. Public spaces were closed in Sharjah on Saturday but reopened the following day.
