Heavy rain and strong winds sweep UAE

Heavy rain and gusty winds hit the northern emirates and other parts of the country yesterday as a low pressure system moved in.

Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain and some parts of Al Ain experienced rain in the morning. The system also produced strong winds and cloudy to partly cloudy conditions.

The UAE Met Department recorded 35.3mm of rain in Ras Al Khaimah, 10mm in Umm Al Quwain, and 1mm in Fujairah. Al Ain and Sharjah received only light rain.

The police, traffic and licensing department and the Department of Civil Defence in Ras Al Khaimah were put on alert. Although at least 50 accidents were reported, there were no casualties.

The municipality and the Works and General Services received dozens of complaints from the public about flooding in front of their houses and shops. In several cases, water had to be pumped away.

In Khatt, the heavy rain nearly destroyed a house. Emergency vehicles were called to the scene and the house was evacuated. The owner, UAE national Rashid Al Habsi, told civil defence department part of the ceiling collapsed, but there were no casualties.

Considering the rain and wind, fishermen avoided the sea. Waves were 3 to 10 feet high. As a result, small quantities of fish arrived at the two markets, and only a few customers were shopping.

The Central Forecasting Office at the Ministry of Communications in Abu Dhabi expects light to moderate rain this morning in the northern emirates. The weather is likely to return to normal later in the day.

According to the Met Department, the weather system also produced rain in Sharjah, Dibba, Umm Al Quwain and the mountainous areas of the northern and eastern emirates.

A meteorologist told Gulf News the weather was the result of low atmospheric pressure over Saudi Arabia. This has been moving in a southeasterly direction towards Iran and Pakistan.

The wind started late on Saturday night and by Sunday morning had reached gusts of about 30 knots. Strong winds, which created storm-like conditions, reduced visibility in most cities and created problem for motorists. In some areas, visibility was reduced to 50 feet. Strong winds also affected parts of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah and other cities.

The official said offshore conditions would remain hazy and dusty over the next couple of days and people driving after midnight and early in the morning should be careful.

"We are expecting partly cloudy and hazy weather in general with a possibility of sandstorms at times over open areas," the official said. "Conditions could become cloudy with a chance of rain over scattered areas."

He also expected a change in conditions this evening, when the southeasterly winds are replaced by northwesterly ones, moving the unsettled weather system away from the UAE.