Al Ain: Weather forecasters expect windy and rainy conditions today. They have urged people to be careful while out on the highways and in open areas as poor visibility and suspended dust particles could cause problem for them.
Thick rain clouds have been increasing since yesterday afternoon, and forecasters expect rain today particularly in the Northern Emirates.
Strong south-easterly and north-westerly winds have been hitting the open areas of Abu Dhabi emirate, coastal belts, and mountainous areas since yesterday. "Weather will be unstable on Friday [today]," a forecaster told Gulf News yesterday.
He said blowing dust and sand could leave dust particles suspended in the air, affecting horizontal visibility. It could cause problem for motorists on highways and those having breathing problems. The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) has also issued a similar weather alert.
The forecaster said clouds from over the Red Sea are being pushed across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Iran. Some parts of Iran have been experiencing heavy rain as well.
"We also expect a gradual fall in temperature and the sea will also be very rough," said the forecaster. The developing weather conditions had pushed the mercury to 35C in some areas in the past two days, giving a feel of early summer.
At around midday yesterday, people experienced poor visibility and windy conditions in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, and other cities.
According to the NCMS weather alert, horizontal visibility was less than 500 meters in some areas between 9am and 8pm.
Today the conditions will be partly cloudy in general that are expected to be cloudy at times with chances of rain in the morning especially over the northern areas, said the forecaster. Winds will, however, continue to blow dust in the open areas at times, but temperatures are expected to fall gradually, he added. The sea will, however, remain very rough.
According to the NCMS forecast, yesterday the temperatures were between 19C and 32C in the coastal areas, 18C and 35C in interior areas. It varied from 11C to 26C in the mountainous areas.
