UAE weather: Hail strikes after high winds and dust clouds sweep country

Drivers warned over downpours and poor visibility

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  Dusty and hazy weather in Dubai. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National

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  Dust and sand fill Dubai's air

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  Residents on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, also woke to dust in the air

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  Visibility at Abu Dhabi's F1 circuit was low

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  Police in Abu Dhabi have warned motorists to be cautious on the roads due to strong winds and high levels of dust clouds

Heavy rain and small hailstorms hit Wadi Al Quor in Ras Al Khaimah on Wednesday.

Footage shared on social media showed torrential showers in the northern emirate, causing disruption on the roads.

A weather warning was issued over high winds and dust blanketing parts of the country, with police urging drivers to be vigilant due to poor visibility.

The National Centre of Meteorology said yellow and orange alerts would be in place until 5pm, due to the unsettled weather.

Police in Abu Dhabi warned motorists to be cautious and alert. “Abu Dhabi Police urges drivers to be cautious due to low visibility during high winds and dust. And for your safety and for the safety of others on the road, please do not be distracted by taking any videos or using your phone,” read a message from the force on social media platform X.

Forecasters are predicting parts of the eastern UAE could have rain over the next few days.

The national weather centre said convective cloud formations on Wednesday might lead to downpours.

It also forecast “fair to partly cloudy” conditions on Thursday with a “probability of some convective cloud formation, especially eastward by afternoon” that “may be associated with rainfall”.

It was a similar story for Friday with further chances of rain towards the east.

The centre forecast winds reaching up to 40kph, kicking up dust clouds over coastal and internal areas that could cut visibility on the roads. The UAE's weather is being affected by a low-pressure system from the east, it added.

Rain has fallen in parts of the UAE. Videos posted to Storm Centre, a popular social media channel that tracks the country’s weather, showed downpours in the east, including in Khor Fakkan.

While most of the country is experiencing typical scorching summer temperatures – the hottest on Tuesday was 49.8°C at the Saih Al Salam station in Dubai – rain is not uncommon during these months.

Low-pressure systems drift across from India, which is affected by monsoons around this time, and help to bring rain to the UAE.

This also helps cause the “khareef” phenomenon in southern Oman where the rains turn the landscape green.

The downpours are sometimes severe. In 2022, floods hit swathes of the UAE’s east coast during the summer, with roads closed and homes inundated.

The NCM told The National at the time that it was the wettest July in the UAE since 1978.

Temperatures in Abu Dhabi and Dubai on Wednesday were expected to reach highs of about 46°C and 44°C, respectively, and hit lows of 33°C and 35°C, according to the NCM.

On Thursday, highs of 46°C and 43°C are expected, with lows of around 33°C and 34°C.

The UAE endured its hottest April and May on record this year, but April 2024 experienced the UAE's heaviest rainfall in 75 years.