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Parts of the UAE were inundated by stormy weather on Saturday morning, when torrential rain in some cases forced flight cancellations.
Airline Flydubai told The National that it had cancelled some inbound flights, while diversions and delays were in place for others.
Police in Dubai called on motorists to exercise caution when driving in the wet, while all marine transport was suspended by the city's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
“The adverse weather conditions in Dubai this morning have resulted in few cancellations and delays to some of our flights,” Flydubai said.
“A number of inbound flights also had to be diverted. We are continuing to monitor the weather conditions in Dubai.
“The safety of our passengers and crew is our No 1 priority, and we are doing all we can to minimise the disruption to our passengers’ travel schedules and are co-ordinating with all parties at the airport.”
Motorists were advised to make sure they took no chances on Dubai's roads, with police issuing a statement on social media to that effect.
“Various areas in Dubai are experiencing moderate to heavy rain,” Dubai Police said on X on Saturday.
“It is of utmost importance for drivers and road users to be extremely cautious while on the roads.”
The RTA announced on social media that all marine transport would be suspended until further notice.
Several flights from other airlines bound for Dubai on Saturday morning were diverted to other airports as bad weather in the emirate continued.
The flights were rerouted to destinations including Zayed International Airport, Al Maktoum International Airport, Muscat International Airport in Oman, and Hamad International Airport in Qatar.
Communities across Dubai were also hit by the rain, prompting a flood of coverage on social media channels.
Residents were advised to only leave their homes if necessary given hazardous conditions on the roads.
RTA teams were out across the emirate on Saturday morning to help ease the traffic build-up created by the wet weather conditions.
Elsewhere, most of the country remained under a yellow alert issued by the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), which was expected to last until at least 4pm on Sunday, March 10.
The NCM also issued an alert for those in eastern parts of the country.
“Precautions should be taken in case of heavy rain over some eastern areas and [people are] advised to stay away from areas of flash floods and accumulated rain,” said the NCM on X.
Thunder and lightning was reported in Abu Dhabi on Saturday afternoon, the NCM said.
