Dubai: As the Eastern regions of the UAE continue to experience unstable weather and scattered rainfall over the last few weeks, a tornado was spotted in Ras Al Khaimah on Wednesday afternoon. A waterspout was also seen off the coast of Fujairah on October 27.
The National Centre of Meteorology shared with Gulf News, a video taken in Ras Al Khaimah's Seih Al Banah.
The video shows the tornado blowing sand over a road as unsuspecting motorists and truck drivers cross it carefully, due to the reduced visibility.
Another video that the NCM shared on its social media pages shows a waterspout that was spotted off the coast of Fujairah on Wednesday.
Waterspouts, which are columns of water formed by a whirlwind over the sea, usually appear as a funnel-shaped cloud.
Waterspouts are very uncommon in the UAE. They can occour during unstable weather conditions due to a change in seasons.
In a waterspout, water is lifted off the sea surface and extends upwards with a circular or swirling motion. Unlike tornados that form over land, waterspouts do not move and tend to remain in one area. They can cause danger for marine vessels nearby.
Ahead of the waterspout formation, heavy rainfall was reported in Fujairah.
An NCM official also confirmed that convective clouds monitored over the eastern and southern parts of the country are being cloud seeded to maximise rainfall over the region.
Light to moderate rainfall was also reported in Al Ain and surrounding areas on Thursday evening.
Areas in and around Fujairah and Al Ain will continue to experience cloudy and rainy weather over the weekend. Meanwhile, temperatures will see a gradual decrease in other parts of the country.
