UAE weather: Be prepared for rain across the country

Rainfall expected to intensify amid low pressure system

Light to moderate rain that fell across parts of the country on Sunday morning is expected to intensify by the afternoon, according to the National Centre of Meteorology.

A low pressure system that moved over the country is forecast to drop heavy rain over parts of Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi’s Western Region, a forecaster at the NCM said.

On Sunday, most of the cloud coverage was over the western part of the UAE and the coastal area, he said. The rain was light to moderate.

Barakah, just west of Ruwais in the Western Region, received the most rain after 22.6 mm fell over the coastal area.

Heavy downpours were reported in Al Ghalilah area, North of Ras Al Khaimah, causing floods in valleys. A high risk of flash floods prompted a warning from authorities to motorists to drive with caution and avoid wadi areas.

Forecasters upgraded their weather warning from yellow, or “be aware,” to orange, which calls on the public to “be prepared,” and "on the alert” for rough to very rough conditions and shared a video of rain water gushing over the mountains in RAK.

The NCM is taking advantage of the cloud cover to blast cloud-seeding flares into the atmosphere to try to enhance the rainfall. The rain-enhancement flights will continue throughout the day.

Commuters well wrapped up for the elements waiting for their bus at 16th Street in Khalifa City A in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

The rain is part of a weather system that moved over the Arabian Peninsula Friday and increased in intensity over Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain Saturday.

The system is associated with southeasterly to northeasterly winds blowing between 14 to 30 kph, gusting up to 48 kph over land and reaching 65 kph over the sea. Offshore waves in the Arabian Gulf could become rough to very rough, climbing to almost 4m at times. The Sea of Oman will be rough as offshore waves swell to 2.5m.

The cool, strong winds may cause blowing dust and reduced visibility at times.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Transport issued a caution reminding drivers to stay safe on wet roads and avoiding pools of water.

Sunday’s high is forecast to reach 26°C along the coast, 28°C in the interior and 22°C in the mountains, but temperatures are expected to drop by as much as four degrees or more when during rainfall.

“It’s a pressure system that is moving from the west to the east, which is normal for this time of year,” said the forecaster.

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