High winds and rain not expected to blow over

Dubai: Rain on Tuesday caused flooding in some key roads and caused traffic delays in parts of Dubai and Sharjah.

Many roads in International City in Dubai  were flooded. A portion of the road leading up to the Defence Bridge was also flooded, slowing down traffic.

The Dubai Meteorological Office said that unsettled weather is expected until evening, with more thunderstorms and rain expected.

The maximum temperature will be 27 degrees Celcius, with a minimum temperature of 23 degrees Celcius.

The data collected from the weather satellite shows a wide area of the eastern Arabian Peninsula and northern Africa under clouds moving from south to the north.

The weather is expected to be rough on Wednesday with cloudy to partly cloudy conditions with a chance of rain, said the forecast.

In Ras Al Khaimah, the water level at dams has dramatically increased and rainfall in the various areas have been above their annual average.

According to a report issued by the Ministry of Water and Environment, the water in the dams have tremendously increased.

Conditions to remain unsettled

Weather conditions will continue to remain unsettled across the country with more heavy rain and gusty winds expected to hit different areas Monday and Tuesday, according to the national weather bureau.

The atmospheric system responsible for the queer weather has been bringing in moisture-laden clouds from over Ethiopia and the Red Sea via Yemen and Saudi Arabia and resulted in the heavy rain, thunder and hailstorm experienced in different parts of the country on Saturday evening.

"This kind of weather is not unusual in this month," said a weatherman, noting that the rain has been rather delayed this year. February is normally the year's wettest month and witnesses thunderstorms, rain and gusty winds all over the country.

Widespread pattern

The weather system has been moving in a northerly direction, pushing the clouds to Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Heavy rain and snowfall is being reported from Afghanistan and Pakistan's northern areas.

According to the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), the weather will continue to be unsettled all over the country.

"Clouds will increase gradually… with heavy rain in areas scattered across the country during evening and at night," the centre's forecast report said.

The NCMS also forecast a slight drop in temperature and warned that winds might also whip up dust and sand that could reduce horizontal visibility in open areas. "The sea will also remain rough," said the report.

Conditions are expected to remain more or less unchanged on Monday, with heavy rain expected across the country along with a further drop in temperatures.

On Saturday, the highest amount of rainfall recorded was 36.2mm at Sharjah Airport, followed by 35.6mm in Al Heben, and 30.8mm in Dhudna area. Ras Al Khaimah Airport saw 32mm of rain, Dubai International Airport 16.7mm, Abu Dhabi International Airport 18.6mm and Fujairah Airport 2.6mm.

Rough seas: Fish prices shoot up

Prices of certain varieties of fish in high demand have risen two to three-fold in Ras Al Khaimah with fishermen avoiding going out to sea and traders in the emirate's fish markets selling available stocks at a premium.

A single mann (equivalent to 4kg) of the locally known khabbat is currently being sold for a minimum of Dh100 as against a price of between Dh30 and Dh40 a few days back.

Authorities in the emirate have urged fishermen to suspend their fishing trips for the coming few days as a precautionary measure in view of the rough weather.

The fishing community, which has been keeping close track of the weather forecasts and warnings, is given to believe that it would be foolhardy to venture out to sea at least till the end of the week.

With inputs from Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief, and Nasouh Nazzal, Staff Reporter

How has the rain affected you? Were any of your belongings damaged? Do you have any pictures of the rain?