UAE weather: hailstones bigger than dirham coins hit Sharjah

Video posted to social media showed residents in Kalba holding large pieces of the ice in their hands

Hail grains on Al-Hail and the West Kalba pit.
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Hail the size of stones is falling on the UAE.

Video posted to social media showed residents in Sharjah's Kalba holding large pieces of the ice in their hands.

The footage was posted on Monday by the National Centre of Meteorology. Some of the hailstones in the clip have the circumference of a dirham coin.

More rain and hail fell across the UAE on Tuesday – largely in the east again – affecting Fujairah and parts of Ras Al Khaimah in particular. Footage showed lashing rain forcing drivers to slow down.

Meteorologists are warning people to be prepared for hazardous weather.

"[There is] a chance of convective cloud formation associated with rainfall and fresh to strong winds causing blowing dust and sand, reducing horizontal visibility," it said.

It comes as a period of wet, windy and dusty weather continues to sweep across the country – with the east coast taking the brunt of the downpours over the past week.

The costal cities have not experienced huge degrees of rain but dust storms contributed to a 34-vehicle road accident in Dubai on Monday.

The National Centre of Meteorology issued a warning about more unsettled weather ahead, with potential rain in the east forecast until Thursday.

UAE's unsettled weather - in pictures