Watch: UAE summer rains, hail hit parts of Dubai and Sharjah; dust storm sweeps through roads

Authorities have advised motorists to drive safely and follow guidelines to avoid any potential danger on the road

Published: Sat 5 Aug 2023, 5:10 PM

Updated: Sun 6 Aug 2023, 12:35 PM

By
Angel Tesorero / Laraib Tariq Anwer

Jaddaf (Photo: KT reader/Rajat Khanna)

Thick dust storm and heavy rains hit parts of Dubai and Sharjah on Saturday, giving residents a respite from the summer heat.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) recorded a downpour in Al Qudra and Al Barsha areas at 3.53pm and 3.54pm, respectively, while rains of varying degrees also fell on Oud Metha, Dubai Hills and other parts of Dubai. Heavy rain also lashed Al Quoz area and Emirates Road at 3.35pm.

On Jebel Ali-Lehbab road, the showers came with hail, according to the weather authorities.

In a video shared by Storm Centre, Dubai's Al Marmum area is seen battered by strong winds and rain, with water flowing on the roadside.

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In another video, cars are seen driving through wet roads amidst the rainy weather:

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Take a look at the rainfall captured across the country in these stunning videos and pictures.

Rainfall captured from Khaleej Times office in Dubai:

Rain in Dubai's Karama area:

Rainfall in Sharjah:

Dust storm before the rain in Oud Metha. (Photo: KT/Angel Tesorero)

Dubai Hills (Photo: KT reader/Shehna Mansoor)

Dubai Hills (Photo: KT reader/Muhammad Zeeshan)

Al Quoz, Dubai (Photo: KT/Neeraj Murali)

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Drive safely

Authorities meanwhile urged motorists to drive safely. When driving through the rain or dust storm, motorists must always adhere to driving guidelines to avoid any potential danger on the road and ensure their own and others’ safety.

Here are the tips from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) as well as RoadSafetyUAE:

• Before driving in dusty weather ensure that all your car headlights work well.

Please be careful while driving in dusty weather and reduce your speed while switching lanes for your safety and that of others.

• If the weather gets dusty while driving, close your windows and turn on the AC for your safety on the road.

•When visibility is down, slow down; attention up and distance up.

•Adjust your speed so you can always stop within the distance of visibility. Again, slow down!

•Attention Up! Concentrate and do not get distracted by your passengers, your phone or other things.

•Increase the distance from three seconds in good weather to a minimum of five seconds — you must be able to stop within the distance of visibility.

•Turn on the lights: low beam head lights, front and rear fog lights. Definitely no hazard lights.

•Take care of others, especially ‘weaker’ traffic participants like motorcycle drivers, bicycle riders and pedestrians.

•Consider longer braking distances due to wet or slippery road surface.

•In rain, reduce your speed to avoid aquaplaning.

•Use your windscreen wipers properly and maintain them properly.

•Use your heater and A/C to avoid fogging of the wind screen.

•Listen to the radio for traffic updates.

•Ask your passengers to help keep an eye out for oncoming cars and obstacles on the road.

•Stay in your lane and don’t drift — there’s a natural tendency to wander into the middle of the road when visibility gets bad.

•Use the lane marks or the right edge of the road as a guide — this can help you avoid running into oncoming traffic or being blinded by oncoming headlights.

•If you have no visibility, pull over to the side of the road and turning on your hazard lights alerting other drivers of where you are, or pull into petrol stations or rest areas.

•Plan your trip properly and leave earlier or try not to be on the road at all, if possible.

Watch out for:

•Do not use hazard lights (they are meant for standing cars in case of an emergency).

•Do not use rear fog lights during normal visibility, since they can blind drivers behind and rear fog lights can over-power your brake lights, hence following drivers might not see you braking.

•Stay away from areas which are normally affected by bad weather, like wadis.

•In case of rain, avoid low lying parts of the roads network like underpasses.

Watch: UAE summer rains, hail hit parts of Dubai and Sharjah; dust storm sweeps through roads

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