Lightning strikes Burj Khalifa as heavy rain hits parts of Dubai

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has shared a video of lightning striking the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, as heavy rain hit parts of Dubai and the rest of the UAE on Thursday.

The video shows a shot of the Burj Khalifa standing amid green cloudy skies as a bolt of lightning strikes it.

The video comes hours after the crown prince shared another post telling residents to be ready for the rainy days ahead.

In Insta reels on Wednesday, he zoomed in on rain-heavy clouds that moved slowly above sand dunes. In the next story, he shared a weather map showing the movement of clouds over the next few days.

According to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), the UAE is entering the peak of the 'Al Bashayer' low-pressure system today, Thursday, December 18. While parts of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah have already witnessed heavy downpours and hail this morning, a second, more powerful 'main rainfall wave' is forecast to sweep across Abu Dhabi and Dubai starting later today.

"The UAE is affected by an unstable weather situation due to an extension of a surface low-pressure system from the Red Sea. This will result in cloud formations of varying heights, leading to rainfall of different intensities accompanied by lightning, thunder, and a chance of hail over limited areas," the NCM said in an alert today.