Dubai: The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) is monitoring tropical storm Vayu off the Arabian Sea that is predicted to weaken by Tuesday and is not expected to have “direct effect” on the UAE.
NCM issued the advisory as tropical storm Vayu, which developed near the Indian coast last week, moved westward towards the Arabian Peninsula on Friday and Saturday with wind speeds of 120km/h to 130km/h, NCM said.
From a tropical storm category, it strengthened again to a tropical cyclone category 1 before weakening to a tropical storm on Sunday at 4am.
Vayu, however, is expected to change direction by 4pm on Sunday, moving back northeast towards India with speeds of 80km/h to 90km/h. It is expected to make landfall on Monday with wind speeds of 65km/h to 75km/h.
“Vayu is expected to decrease gradually. It should end by Tuesday. It is not expected to move to the UAE. The movement right now is most likely to the northeast and towards the Indian coast. But once it does, it will gradually decrease to a depression,” a forecaster from NCM told Gulf News.
Tropical storms and cyclones are common at this time of the year, he said.
“Tropical cyclones and tropical storms develop in the Arabian Sea during this time. This is the period of tropical cyclone — usually between May and June and October up to November. This is what we call the pre-Indian monsoon and post-Indian monsoon season.”
While the case has no direct effect on UAE weather, residents can expect a respite from the summer heat beginning Tuesday or Wednesday as forecasters expect a drop in temperature on an average of between four to five degrees Celsius, and in other places by six degrees.
Coastal cities will have the most significant drop with Dubai’s maximum temperature from 42C on Sunday, dropping to 37C on Tuesday, while Abu Dhabi’s will decrease to 39C.
The mercury will hover in the high 40s in interior regions, however.
The forecaster was quick to point out that the heat the UAE is experiencing is normal as summer sets in. No ‘heatwave’ is affecting the country as a heatwave is a period of unusually hot weather — higher than the average for the region — that could last two or more days.
“The source of heat affecting the world is coming from the desert. Our area is an arid one. So yes, sometimes we will have rising temperature. It might reach high 40s. Some areas might reach 50C and this is normal,” he explained.
Visibility, however, will deteriorate starting Tuesday due to dust and sand blown by northwesterly winds with speeds of 25km/h to 35km/h, reaching 45km/h.
