Trees down as gales hit UAE

Since this, we have had rainstorms over night…

Gale-force winds battered parts of the UAE yesterday and visibility along stretches of the Abu Dhabi to Dubai motorway was reduced to zero at times.

Traffic lights above many of Abu Dhabi’s roads swayed alarmingly as winds gusted at more than 60kph, whipping up clouds of dust and uprooting trees.

Weather forecasters at the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) warned that the gales were likely to continue throughout today and that the Western region would continue to be the worst hit.

“Visibility on the main motorway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi has dropped to zero in places,” said the one meteorologist.

“The wind has reached 62kph at times and Abu Dhabi has seen winds of around 50kph. The west of the country has been worst affected, including parts of Sharjah.

“Dust and sand raised by the wind have made driving conditions very dangerous. Al Hamra saw visibility drop to 100 metres.”

The meteorologist added that trees had been torn down by the strong gusts along parts of the E11 motorway and on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.

“The roads are very dangerous and drivers should take precautions such as slowing down.

“Cars travelling quickly on the roads become more unstable in strong wind, and this combined with poor visibility can be very dangerous.”…SOURCE

Here Comes the Rain Again!

Moderate rain expected to continue in UAE on Sunday and Monday

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/02/08/10283340.html

02/08/2009 10:15 PM | By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief

Al Ain: Moderate rain is expected to hit many parts of the emirates on Sunday and Monday.

An unsettled weather system has developed over the country, giving overnight drizzle and light rain in Al Ain and some other parts of the country, including Dubai.

“We expect partly cloudy weather in general to cloudy at times during early morning over some western and northern coastal areas with a chance of light rain [in the next 48 hours],” said a forecaster at the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology.

Arg! It’s Cold!

Moderate to heavy showers lashed most parts of the country on Friday evening, bringing down temperature.

From a maximum of 20 degree Celsius during the day in Abu Dhabi, the temperature dropped to 16 degree Celsius in the evening, while Dubai’s temperature fell to 14.9 degree Celsius from 21 degree Celsius.

According to Clive Stevens, Duty Forecaster at the Dubai Meteorological Department, Friday was very cold due to heavy rain which brought down the temperature with the wind blowing at a speed of 30 knots.

Many parts of Dubai experienced heavy rains in the evening, the forecaster said.

Sharjah also had light showers in the evening. Light showers are predicted in most parts of the country on Saturday morning, while the weather would stabilise by the afternoon.

Visibility level in the morning in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other parts of the country will be good.

The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology in the capital also warned motorists about light showers in the morning on Saturday, making roads slippery. According to the centre, the sea will remain rough on Saturday and beach-goers and fishermen are advised to stay away from the sea.

Partly cloudy weather will prevail in the northern and eastern parts of the country with a slight chance of rain andh thunderstorms, and the night will be cold to very cold. Sea waves will be 2-3-feet high onshore and 4-6-feet high offshore which might go up due to unstable weather.

The cold air mass in the upper surface of the environment, which is coming from the southern Arabian Gulf, is causing low pressure in the ground atmosphere, resulting in the unstable weather, the centre said.

The Met Department has forecast fog in some parts of the country on Sunday. The maximum temperature in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Saturday will be 20 degree Celsius and minimum 13 degree Celsius in Dubai and 10 degree Celsius in Abu Dhabi.

It’s Raining Again

Thunder and heavy down pours continue in some parts of the UAE

01/15/2009 12:19 AM | By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief and Nasouh Nazzal, Staff Reporter

Al Ain/Ras Al Khaimah/Fujairah: Heavy rain accompanied by thunder and hailstorms hit Al Ain and some other parts of the UAE on Tuesday night, with forecasts of more rain and hailstorms today.

There is also a chance of rain in Dubai and some parts of the northern emirates.

“It might be frozen over the tops of mountains in the morning,” said weathermen at the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS).

In Ras Al Khaimah, a 21-year-old Emirati died Wednesday after losing control of his vehicle, which overturned several times after he tried to avoid colliding with a truck.

RAK Traffic and Licensing Department also announced that 40 road accidents were reported yesterday morning – those suffering moderate and minor injuries were hospitalised.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and some other parts of the UAE also had light rain or drizzle on Wednesday.

It was drizzling until midday in Al Ain yesterday and the accumulated water forced traffic to crawl, although there were no serious accidents…