A car slows down during heavy rain in Abu Dhabi.

Syed Shayaan Bakht, Staff Reporter

Light to heavy rain was witnessed in several areas of the UAE on Wednesday, prompting authorities to issue a weather alert.

The rain brought the temperature down by a few notches.

The Ministry of Interior called on motorists to be cautious while driving due to the unstable weather conditions.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said, “Convective rainy clouds formation associated with fresh winds with speed of 40 km/hr. and rough sea with wave height reaching 7 Ft offshore in the Arabian Gulf from 14:30 Tuesday 26/07/2022 until 14:30 Wednesday 27/07/2022.”

The NCM said that Khorfakkan experienced good rain. Earlier, light rain was reported in Ras Al Khaimah.
The NCM said that the highest temperature recorded over the country on Thursday was at 45°C in AL Jazeera B.G, Al Dhafra Region, at 15:45 UAE local time.

While the lowest temperature recorded over the country was at 19.5 °C in Jais Mountain, Ras Al Khaimah, at 00:45 UAE local time.

The Abu Dhabi Police called on drivers to adhere to safe driving on internal and external roads during rain and expected weather fluctuations during the coming days.

Light rain was witnessed in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Dubai suburbs and Fujairah.

The police urged road users to follow the weather condition before embarking on a journey, reduce road speed and leave an adequate safe distance between vehicles.

The Traffic and Patrols Directorate called on owners of heavy vehicles, trucks and buses, owners of companies and distribution officials to warn drivers and educate them to commit to safe driving during heavy rain, stop at the nearest exit, and reinforce preventive measures to avoid accidents in such weather conditions, in order to preserve the safety of all.

The NCM expects temperatures to drop by an average of 7 to 10°C, as of Tuesday and Wednesday.

The NCM indicated that temperatures will rise again on Thursday as a result of the country being affected by a shallow air depression from the east, accompanied by an air depression in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

The NCM explained that the weather on Tuesday and Wednesday will be dusty during the day and partly cloudy to cloudy at times over some areas, with a chance of some convective rainy clouds to the east extending over some interior and northern regions, with a decrease in temperatures.

Winds will be southeasterly to northeasterly, moderate to active and strong at times, with the activity of clouds and stirring dust, leading to a decrease in horizontal visibility, and at a speed of 20 to 30 amounting to 50 kilometres/hour.

The NCM expected that the sea will be moderate to turbulent and very turbulent at times, with cloud activity in the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

Thursday’s weather will be partly cloudy to cloudy at times, with a chance of convective rainy clouds over the eastern and coastal regions during the day, with a gradual rise in temperatures, according to the NCM.

Winds on Thursday will be southeasterly to northeasterly, light to moderate, and active to strong at times, with the activity of clouds and stirring dust, leading to a decrease in horizontal visibility, at a speed of 20 to 30 up to 50 kilometres/hour.

The sea on Thursday is expected to be turbulent, especially with cloud activity in the Arabian Gulf, and turbulent to moderate in the Sea of Oman. Moreover, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) recently organised a workshop to update the National Strategy to Combat Desertification in line with its efforts to prevent and reverse land degradation and meet the UAE’s commitment to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Held on July 19th and 20th, the gathering drew strong participation of government officials, representatives of academia, and experts from research centres with a focus on determining the outline and objectives of the National Strategy to Combat Desertification 2022-2030. They also commenced developing an action plan to involve relevant sectors in the implementation of the strategy.