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- Dubai 04:43 05:58 12:20 15:47 18:35 19:50
Residents across the UAE woke up to a rain-filled Thursday, as a low pressure system from Saudi Arabia moved westwards to shroud the Gulf region.
Medium to heavy rainfall was reported in most of the country these past 24 hours, with some unconfirmed reports of hail in Dubai.
Emirates247 reader Arwa Altamimi
The UAE’s National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) stated Ras Al Khaimah recorded the most rain, with 33.2mm on Jebel Jais mountain by late afternoon.
As Friday's weather rolls in, the NCMS states fresh to moderate winds will continue to buffet the UAE over the coastal areas and the Arabian Gulf, bringing with it, a continued chance of wet weather; albeit to a lesser degree than Thursday.
By Saturday, the partial cloud cover is expected to dissipate further, while the Mercury will continue to sit at the lower end of the scale after dropping six degrees Celsius on Thursday.
When quizzed, the NCMS stated this unstable was not a sign of winter, but rather a mark of the transition period between summer and autumn seasons.
Meanwhile, the NCMS has maintained its marine warning for the Arabian Gulf, warning of very rough seas and wave heights that could reach 12 feet.
Earlier story: The UAE’S Met office has warned of unstable weather that will continue for 48 hours, blowing strong winds and possible thunderstorms across the country.
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Heavy rainfall has already been recorded in Dubai and Sharjah in the morning hours of Thursday, with motorists reporting strong winds blowing dust and dropping horizontal visibility on highways.
#video Hail in the desert! #Dubai #mydubai #HappeningNow #SheikhZayedRoad @MyDubai @BinduRai #rain #hail pic.twitter.com/AOVda8Owt0
— megha merani (@dxbmaven) November 12, 2015
According to the country’s National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), a low pressure system that is sweeping in from southwest of Saudi Arabia is affecting most of the Gulf in its wake, with Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait also facing it's share of weather upheaval since Tuesday.
A spokesperson with the NCMS told 'Emirates 24|7': "By Thursday, a band of convective clouds will develop over the north and eastern parts of the UAE, which will move across the coastal areas, bringing rain to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other parts of the northern emirates."
The spokesperson continued: "This unstable weather will last 24 to 48 hours, affecting most of coastal UAE, with a chance of thunderstorms over the mountains by Thursday evening."
The NCMS has also issued a marine warning for the next 48 hours, with very rough seas that could see wave height reach over 12 feet.
Emirates247 reader
The change in weather will also affect the Mercury, which will plummet by an average of six degrees Celsius, bring a chill in the air by Friday evening, the NCMS added.
The unstable weather sweeping through the UAE commenced on Wednesday morning when a sandstorm saw wind speeds reach highs of 55kmph and drop horizontal visibility to a few hundred meters.
#الإمارات: سحب ركامية حاليا على رأس الخيمة ، بعدسة ابراهيم الشحي #مركز_العاصفة pic.twitter.com/vY9gx5uwAy
— مركز العاصفة (@Storm_centre) November 12, 2015
Sandstorm sweeping across UAE; rain to follow
Strong winds have kicked up a sandstorm that is sweeping across most of the UAE, reducing horizontal visibility across parts of Dubai and Sharjah.
Motorists are being warned to proceed with caution as gusts of wind have blown sand on to the highways in open areas, with incidents being reported on E11 after Jebel Ali and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road around 10.30am.
The situation is similar in Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, with the UAE’s Met Office warning residents of rainfall in the coming few hours.
As a depression travels through the Gulf, bringing thunderstorms and strong winds to Kuwait and Qatar, the UAE is bracing for 48 hours of rainfall and a drop in temperatures.
Residents in Dubai woke up this morning to strong winds billowing across the emirate, threatening to kick up a dust and sand storm.
The country's National Center for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) issued a weather alert, also warning seagoers of very rough marine conditions until Friday.
The NCMS has stated Wednesday will witness the increase of convective clouds over the north eastern region, with rainfall sweeping through the western parts of the UAE, including Madinat Zayed, Sweihan, Ruwais, as fresh winds raise sand and reduce partial horizontal visibility.
Tomorrow, the wet weather is expected to sweep across the country, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates, especially near the coastal areas, as temperatures will substantially plummet to bring a chill in the air.
According to the NCMS, the Mercury will average around 16 degrees in the mountains and 18 degrees in the internal areas of the UAE.
The weekend will continue in this manner, with Friday evening expected to be 'relatively cold at night', according to the NCMS, with the marine warning in place for 72 hours in the Arabian Gulf.
Tuesday, depression
Fresh winds and rainfall will be affecting the UAE over the next few days, with the country’s Met office also warning residents of rough seas on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) has stated a depression that has developed over the Gulf region, which has already brought unprecedented rainfall on Sunday to parts of the UAE, will bring wet weather across the country by tomorrow.
By mid-day Wednesday, the system developing over western UAE will affect all coastal areas of the country, sweeping across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and the rest of the northern emirates.
The increased cloud cover will also give rise to fresh winds and rising dust.
Click to read: Rain 'sinks' 6 houses in Fujairah
On Sunday, the UAE already experienced heavy rain over Khor Fakkan and adjacent areas like Qidfa and Madha, causing flooding and property damage in areas.
Minister issues instructions to prepare for rain
Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Public Works, has instructed work teams at the ministry to exert more efforts in preparation for the up-coming rainy season. Various teams have already started to follow up on the readiness of various areas of the country to face any problems that would adversely affect the infrastructure and properties of citizens during rainfall and to find appropriate solutions.
Al Nuaimi called on the teams to conduct field visits to the northern and eastern areas of the country and carry out any necessary procedures to avoid emergency situations. He said that the ministry is working in partnership with various local governments and departments, as well as other partners, in order to avoid potential rain-related issues.
Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah's Khor Fakkan
Heavy rains lashed parts of Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah's Khor Fakkan suburb, causing waterlogging and overflowing wadis in the eastern parts of the UAE.
The UAE's National Center for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) has forecast more rainfall on Monday, associated with fresh winds that could blow dust over open areas and reduce horizontal visibility.
The unprecedented rainfall in the eastern parts of the UAE on Sunday saw residents take to social media with videos and images of vehicles submerged in flooded streets, even as overflowing wadis had the NCMS issue warnings against flash floods.
Fujairah's districts of Madha and Qidfa were the worst hit by the torrential downpour that commenced late afternoon and continued through late evening.
Temperatures below zero degrees
Temperatures in some mountainous and internal areas in the UAE dipped to below zero degrees, according to the National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS).
NCMS forecasts formation of cumulus clouds over the sea and some islands in the Arabian Gulf that could be accompanied by rainfall and active winds in some areas today, reported ‘Emarat Al Youm’. The bureau also predicted that the weather will be partly hazy and dusty at times in some parts of the country.
The region would experience winter between December 21, 2015 and March 20, 2016.
Meanwhile, the weather bureau also said that the temperatures dipping below zero is not uncommon during winters. On February 5, 2008, temperature in Jebel Jess fell to -2.7 degree Celcius.
Qatar's Met office has also warned residents of thunderstorms on Monday.
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