UAE weather: fog arrives and a wet weekend could be on the way

Motorists in the Al Dhafra region had to tackle fog and reduced visibility

Fog has hit parts of Abu Dhabi emirate on Thursday. Deepthi Unnikrishnan / The National

Rain could hit the UAE over the next few days, forecasters have warned.

The National Centre of Meteorology on Thursday said cloud will build by the weekend, especially over eastern parts, potentially triggering showers.

Meanwhile, fog enveloped parts of the country on Thursday morning reducing visibility to less than 1,000 metres on the roads.

Worst affected was the Al Dhafra region, with parts of Madinat Zayed and the Ruwais to Ghayathi motorway shrouded in fog.

Fog is common in the UAE at this time of year and Christmas travellers will be hoping for none of the delays that were experienced last year because of the weather conditions. Authorities urged motorists to be extra vigilant and stop driving if possible during fog.

Temperatures could reach highs on Thursday of 29C, while it could sink as low as 10C in the mountains.

Strong winds of up 45kph are also forecast and conditions in the Arabian Gulf and Sea of Oman could get rough.

Meanwhile, a rare earthquake was felt in Masafi on Wednesday.  The border town straddling Ras Al Khaimah and and Fujairah was hit by a 2.1 magnitude tremor during the afternoon.

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