Winter's heaviest downpour brings down temperature

Dubai/Al Ain: More rain is predicted over the coming days after Dubai had its heaviest showers this winter yesterday morning.

The city had 2.6mm of rain yesterday morning and all of the other emirates also got a soaking when the skies opened.

Forecasters said tomorrow and Friday are likely to be wet with up to 10 times as much rain falling as yesterday morning.

Rainfall began in Dubai at 5am yesterday and continued on and off for about five hours.

Cloudy weather continued for most of the day in many parts of the country, leading to temperatures a few degrees below the seasonal average.

The rainfall was caused by an area of low pressure over the UAE and cold winds blowing in from the north west.

Dr S.K. Gupta, duty forecaster at Dubai International Airport, said there could be between 20mm and 30mm of rain tomorrow and on Friday.

"It definitely looks like rain there is quite a big chance. There is an upper level trough [an elongated area of low pressure in the upper air] just west of Kuwait and it's moving towards us.

"We're expecting it to cross by Thursday afternoon, so there's a possibility of rainfall on Thursday and Friday," he said.

Until yesterday, meteorologists at Dubai International Airport had recorded just 0.4mm of rain this winter and none at all in 2006. These figures do not cover the city itself, where there have been slightly heavier showers.

Gupta said the winter had been fairly dry because most upper level trough weather systems of the kind that caused yesterday's showers had passed north of the UAE.

The maximum temperature in Dubai yesterday was 22.4C, while the minimum was 18.6C. This is a high step down from a week ago when temperatures as high as 34C were recorded in some parts of the country.

Today the maximum is expected to be closer to the seasonal average at 26C, while the minimum is predicted to be 19C.

Strong winds have been blowing over the Arabian Gulf and the country for the past few days.

500 accidents in a few hours

Dubai police received 500 accident reports from the early hours of the morning until 9am yesterday as a result of speeding, not leaving a safe distance in the rain and low visibility.

Two people sustained moderate injuries in an accident involving seven vehicles on Shaikh Zayed Road at 6am. A similar accident took place near Shindaga Tunnel involving nine vehicles and another on Emirates Road involving seven vehicles.

No injuries were reported in the latter two accidents, which were a result of speeding and not leaving a safe distance.

Another motorist sustained moderate injuries as his vehicle rolled over on Al Khail Road as a result of speeding and ignoring traffic signs.

Brigadier Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of Dubai Police's Traffic Department, said motorists should be responsible on the road, especially during rain, fog and dusty winds that affect visibility. He pointed out that road accidents occur as a result of ignoring road conditions.

Brigadier Al Zafein pointed out that a vehicle travelling at a speed of 60km/h needs a distance of approximately 35 metres in case of a sudden stop to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of it, and a motorist needs 140 metres to stop if travelling at 120km/h.