In the early hours of Tuesday morning, residents woke up to hailstones blanketing their backyards in the Al Ain region. This followed a night of relentless rain punctuated by thunder and lightning in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and parts of Sharjah.
Residents in Dubai witnessed streaks of lightning flooding the night sky close to midnight, accompanied by thunder and light rain.
The UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has issued a warning of hazardous weather conditions, advising residents to brace themselves for heavy rainfall in various parts of Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, with scattered showers expected in Dubai as well. This alert comes as a precautionary measure to ensure that residents are adequately prepared for potentially adverse weather conditions and avoid outdoor activities.
The Met Department said people should take precautions during heavy rainfall and strong winds, which can cause low visibility and falling of solid objects. Residents have been urged to avoid areas of flash flooding and accumulated rain and hail.
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Videos shared by UAE’s dedicated ‘storm chasers’ storm.ae captures hail showers in residents’ gardens and streets in Al Ain. Watch them below:
Exercise caution
Motorists are urged to follow traffic rules during the inclement weather. Amidst the unstable condition, the Abu Dhabi Police activated the temporary speed reduction system and lowered the limit to 80 km/h on Abu Dhabi – Al Ain road (Al Haffar Bridge – Baniyas Bridge) and on Maktoum Bin Rashid road (Al Shahama Bridge – Al Nouf Bridge).
The Ministry of Interior urged residents to be vigilant. Taking to X, the authority wrote: “In light of the ongoing weather condition, authorities which is witnessing rain and winds of varying intensity, sometimes accompanied by thunder, lightning and hail, with low horizontal visibility, we urge the public to:
- Be cautious
- Reduce speed on roads
- Avoid water ponds and fast-moving streams
- Avoid the sea and beaches
Weather forecast
Cloud cover is expected to gradually increase across the country, with light to moderate rainfall anticipated during daytime in certain areas. The likelihood of rain will gradually increase across scattered parts of the country, manifesting as rapid consecutive waves of moderate to heavy intensity.
Thunder and lightning to occur intermittently, especially from midnight until midday tomorrow, potentially accompanied by hail in limited areas of the eastern and northern regions. The chance of rainfall will diminish gradually starting Tuesday evening.
Additionally, there will be another weather situation affecting the country from Thursday late night up to Sunday, and it reaches its peak on Saturday, which includes most parts of the country and extends from the west of the country to the north and east.