Thunder, lightning heavy rain and massive hailstones greeted UAE residents first thing today (Monday February12th) with winter storm conditions set to continue until 6pm.
Parts of Abu Dhabi were covered in white layers of hail even before daybreak with hazardous driving conditions in the emirate as well as Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah due to flash flooding.
In an early morning public alert, Dubai Police said the emirate was ‘exposed to fluctuations in weather conditions’ and advised via a public announcement SMS to ‘stay away from beaches, avoid areas of valleys, torrent flows, and low places.’
The National Center of Meteorology (NCM) issued a red and amber alert, warning of continued wet weather caused by an upper air depression combined with a cold air mass over the country. The weather bureau also issued a safety alert, which read: ‘Precautions should be taken in case of heavy rain and strong winds associated with hail. It may cause microbursts and reduce horizontal visibility. (We advise you to) stay away from areas (prone to) flash floods.’
The rainy weather could continue into tomorrow (Tuesday), especially in the northern and eastern parts of the country but will not be as severe.
As a result of the heavy rain, authorities across the UAE have advised remote work for private and public sectors, as well as online classes for schools.
The UAE Cabinet declared a remote workday for all federal government employees on Monday, and similar directives were issued for Dubai government entities, federal higher education institutions, and private schools.
Dubai’s school regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) also urged educators to provide remote learning on Monday due to the wet weather.
In a post on social media platform X, formerly known as twitter it said: ‘With unpredictable weather predicted, we ask all Dubai private schools, nurseries, and universities to be flexible when considering the needs of parents, staff, and students and provide the option of distance learning on Monday, Feb 12. Stay safe everyone.’
Temperatures are expected to dip by 2 to 4°C across most of the country, with highs ranging from 20 to 25°C in coastal regions and lows between 15 to 19°C.The lowest temperature recorded today was 7.6°C in Jais Mountains.
