Cold conditions expected to stay, says weatherman

Al Ain: The weathermen have advised people to keep their warm clothes handy, particularly at night, as the mercury is expected to dip further in the next 24 hours in the face of cold north-westerly winds that have queered the weather in the UAE and neighbouring GCC countries.

"We are expecting cold and windy conditions with gusts of 22 knots over land and 30 knots over the sea," said a meteorologist at the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS).

The sea is also expected to be rough with six to nine foot-high waves. Small boats and fishermen have been advised not to venture out to sea.

The expert said the weather will be partly cloudy in general and the effect will be particularly pronounced over the islands and western areas of Abu Dhabi. Daytime conditions will be pleasant but nights could be chillier, he said.

"A weather system has currently been pushing cold wind into the region and that is normal in the winter season," he added.

People, especially children and the elderly living in desert cities have to take extra protection against the night cold.

Dust and sand

According to the NCMS weather forecast, windy conditions will prevail over most areas of the country. The winds may also kick up dust and sand in the interior, the western and open areas, affecting visibility.

The level of humidity is still high in some areas. It was 85 per cent in Al Ain on Saturday, while coastal cities such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah showed up 80, 70, 75, and 70 per cent humidity respectively. The cold conditions, however, meant the humidity was not felt in Al Ain.

The minimum temperature yesterday was recorded as 14C in Al Ain and Umm Al Quwain.