Cloud-seeding not responsible for UAE storms, confirms National Centre of Meteorology

Forecasters say the weather is typical for this time of year

Dark rain clouds form over the Ghantoot area in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National

Lightning in Umm Al Quwain.

Children enjoying during the rain in Masakin Al Furjan in Al Furjan area in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Some roads were left flooded by downpours. Leslie Pableo / The National

It was soggy at the Dubai Airshow on Wednesday. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Heavy rain in Khorfakkan

Children enjoy their day off school in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Residents in Satwa, Dubai shelter from the rain. Leslie Pableo / The National

Heavy skies over Dubai. Ramola Talwar / The National

Abu Dhabi was overcast on Wednesday morning after some early rain. Victor Besa / The National

A fisherman with his catch in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Dark skies behind Abu Dhabi's Marina Mall. Victor Besa / The National

Residents take a walk under leaden skies on Abu Dhabi Corniche. Victor Besa / The National

A stormy Dubai skyline on Wednesday morning. Charlotte Mayhew / The National

Schools across the UAE were closed on Wednesday. Victor Besa / The National

Puddles formed outside Raha International School in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Dark clouds over Dubai Marina on Wednesday morning. Chris Whiteoak / The National

An interlude in the morning rain over Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

A General view of Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai . Satish Kumar/ For the National

A general view of Mohammed Bin Zayed Road in Dubai . Satish Kumar/ For the National

Strong rain at Jumeirah Beach Road. Leslie Pableo for The National

Workers pump floodwaters on the street in Discovery Gardens. Leslie Pableo for The National

The UAE’s cloud-seeding programme is not responsible for creating thunderstorms, the National Centre of Meteorology has said.

Many people on social media speculated on Wednesday that the bureau's work was responsible for torrential downpours that swept across the country.

But speaking on Wednesday, the NCM said volatile weather systems are too dangerous for pilots to approach so seeding - when salt flares are fired into clouds to attract rain - would not take place.

Experts added that this type of weather is typical for the UAE at this time.

The comments came on a day when rain lashed many parts of the country. The Northern Emirates bore the brunt of the storms with torrential downpours hammering Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. The NCM seeding planes were active on Wednesday but did not create an extreme weather front, it said.

“All we do is try to strengthen some clouds,” said an NCM forecaster. “Some say we are responsible for storms. We are not responsible for this.

“Aircraft do not go inside storm clouds if they are strong or dangerous."

The UAE’s cloud-seeding programme started in the 1990s and is based in Al Ain. When experts see a cloud that is suitable, a small plane is dispatched from Al Ain to “seed” the cloud with salt flares that naturally attract water. The aim is to enhance rain, not to create it. It is thought seeding can enhance rainfall by about 15 per cent in the UAE’s dusty atmosphere but the NCM has said more research is needed to determine its true impact.

The UAE conducts hundreds of missions every year. Summer is also an important time with operations running four days a week from July to September.

It is hoped the programme may provide more water for crops in a country with an annual rainfall rate of about 100mm a year.

The weather, meanwhile, is expected to stay unsettled until Thursday. But wet winters are historically the norm, not the exception, in the region’s history

“It is very common as we are in the season now,” said the forecaster. “This is expected.”