Thunderstorms, rain to hit the UAE on Saturday

Dubai: Isolated thunderstorms and rain will hit the UAE on Saturday, making driving and sailing hazardous, the Dubai Meteorological Office said.

A 64-kilometer per hour squall will make the seas very rough with waves reaching five feet offshore. A marine warning was issued on Friday and is valid until Saturday night.

The unsettled weather is expected to percolate late on Friday and clear on Saturday night.

In pictures: The season's heaviest rainfall in the UAE

While the intermittent showers will not be as heavy as the last ones, the rain waters are expected to clog the drains and flood the streets once again.

Last week Al Ain recorded the highest rainfall of 60 mm and motorists in Dubai and Sharjah were stuck in traffic jams for hours.

Police have advised motorists to slow down when it rains. Scores of accidents were reported in last week’s downpour. Many malls experienced leaks and some shops in Ibn Battuta Mall had strategically placed buckets on the floor to catch the drips.

Video: Last week's heavy rainfall across the UAE

The forecaster said the thunderstorm is due to a low pressure front moving in from Iran. Thunderstorm warnings have also been issued across the Gulf States, specially Bahrain and Qatar, according to the weather bureau in Sharjah.

The temperatures are expected to further drop on Saturday to a minimum of 14 degrees Celsius with a daytime temperature of 29 degrees Celsius.

It will be partly cloudy on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with a risk of isolated showers. These are the usual winter rains in these parts, said the forecasters. The rains are expected to continue until January.