Motorists warned, more rains in store

Motorists warned, more rains in store Lily B. Libo-on / 27 April 2013 DUBAI – With temperatures hotting up in the UAE last week, the heavy rain witnessed across the country on Saturday was a welcome relief for many of the emirates’ residents, with the downpour clearing the muggy, humid air. After a gloomy start to the day in Dubai, the rainfall which lashed the emirate in the afternoon sparked warning messages from the National Center of Meteorology and Seismology, urging motorists to take extra precautions while driving on the roads due to reduced visibility and slippery surfaces. A view from the Ras Al Khor area shows grey clouds blanketing the Dubai skyline on Saturday morning. — KT photo by Rahul Gajjar Many office workers in Dubai took a five minute break from their daily duties to rush to the nearest window and watch in awe as the bucketing rainfall quenched the parched landscapes — with many recording the intense downpour on their phones. Unexpected downpours on Saturday morning drenched residents in the Capital. — KT Photo by Syed Hameeduddin Quadri A welcome respite from last week’s soaring heats, an official from the NCMS said that this unusual change in weather is known as the transitional period, which comes between the summer and winter seasons, and is usually characterised with a significant change in weather in the UAE. “…The country is under the influence of instability in weather conditions for the next three days at least.” The official further noted that the unstable weather condition is due to the clouds moving from central and southern areas of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia towards the UAE. The country’s Capital also experienced heavy rain on Saturday and with 0.8 millimetres of rainfall measured earlier at Sir Baniyas Island, this number is set to increase with the rain continuing to fall at intervals over the next 48 hours. The rain covered most of the country’s emirates on Saturday, and today, Dubai will see moderate to heavy rainfall, with intermittent showers in the forecast. Sharjah is expected to experience moderate showers, with Ajman subjected to heavy rains. Over the next few days, the country will endure gloomy and rainy weather, with clouds increasing over some scattered areas and showers increasing in coverage and intensity. An official from the NCMS in Abu Dhabi said that the current weather condition is ongoing, with clouds moving in the western region, extending to central and eastern regions of the country. “The accumulated maximum rainfall since midnight on Friday, until this late hour of Saturday, is recorded at 20.4 millimetres, while the central region is at 13.4 millimetres,” the official said. “Winds will be moderate to fresh in general, causing blowing dust and may reduce the horizontal visibility over some areas at times,” the official added. Precautionary measures have to be taken by motorists on the road, as well as the public. “Going to the sea is not advisable for members of the public because of the vicinity of clouds, which may cause rough seas at times,” the official said. lily@khaleejtimes.com Taylor Scott International