UAE weather: Rain and flash floods for the Northern Emirates

Rain and flooding is expected to hit parts of the UAE over the weekend, according to the government-run weather centre.

Scattered rain is expected to fall on Saturday, especially in the northern areas, which the National Centre for Meteorology predicted would escalate into thunder and lightning in the following days.

Flash flooding is also forecast in the eastern and northern parts of the country. Clouds are expected to ease up on Monday but rain is still predicted to fall in the east and west.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be more stable.

Temperatures are predicted to hit 35°C on Thursday afternoon - much hotter than recently.

Why does it feel so much hotter? Humidity in the UAE explained

Everything you need to know about Friday's Sheikh Zayed Road run: routes, parking, timings

Humidity is predicted during the night, when it could reach as high as 85 per cent.

The forecast for Abu Dhabi promises a similar day of haze, partial cloud and light winds.

Peak temperatures are expected to be cooler, hitting 33°C.

However, lighter breezes of only 18kph will provide less relief from the humidity.

Partial cloud cover is expected to arrive in the UAE’s east and south in the afternoon.

Friday morning should see a cool start for the Sheikh Zayed Road run, with temperatures about 24°C at 7am.

The low-lying areas areas of Sharjah and Fujairah experienced flooding last week as a result of Cyclone Kyarr.

Kyarr was the strongest cyclone in the Arabian Sea since the category 5 Cyclone Gonu ravaged the coast in 2007.

The Al Bradi neighbourhood is thought to be among the worst affected

Diggers are used to clear debris from streets on Wednesday

Flooding in Kalba on Sharjah's east coast left some homes without electricity. All photos by Ruba Haza / The National

Municipality workers use a pump machine to drain a waterlogged road on Wednesday afternoon

Abdullah Humaid shows The National the damage to his neighbourhood

Storm water drove sand from the beach onto the town's roads

Badriah Al Zaabi at her flooded home in Kalba

A police officer wades through flood water as he tries to clear a rubbish bin from the middle of a residential road in Kalba on Sharjah's east coast. Courtesy: Sharjah Police

The Miramar Al Aqah Beach Resort hotel was forced to close its beach this week when crashing waves swept away sunbeds and smashed through a restaurant's glass windows.

A hotel worker in Fujairah drowned after he was swept out to sea by a high wave, while he cleaned the courtyard of debris.

Feeding the thousands for iftar

Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth

Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people

The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box

350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley

Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck

The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.

Hydrogen: Market potential

Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.

"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.

Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.

The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.

Racecard

6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m

7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m

8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m

8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m

9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m

Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):

1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop

2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop

3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out

4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success

5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop

6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop

7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop

8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success

9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop

10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
Travel distance: Limited
Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
Duration: Can linger for days
Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
Source: Can be carried from distant regions