Abu Dhabi and Dubai were lashed by heavy rain on Saturday morning, with the country braced for more wet weather in the days to come.
The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) issued a weather alert as residents woke up to leaden skies and motorists faced challenging conditions on the roads.
Authorities have warned that the UAE is set to experience a period of unstable weather until at least Friday, March 27.
The NCM said convective clouds and strong winds were expected over "scattered areas of the country" from 8am until 8pm on Saturday.
Storm Centre – a popular UAE weather tracking platform – shared videos on social media of pools of water collecting on roads under thick clouds.
Ready to weather the storm
The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (Ncema) said on Friday it was monitoring developments closely after holding key talks with the Ministry of Interior and the NCM.
Ncema said it was taking measures to ensure readiness across all sectors and was prepared to activate business continuity plans where necessary.
Abu Dhabi Police advised drivers to exercise caution and to follow variable speed limits posted on electronic signboards on the emirate's roads.
Abu Dhabi typically reduces speed limits to 80kph during bad weather, such as thick fog, heavy rain or dust storms.
The NCM's online weather map – which covers the next five days – forecasts more cloudy conditions and heavy rain in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Northern Emirates from Saturday until at least Wednesday.
