UAE weather alert: Residents warned of heavy rain, lightning, possible hail in some areas

After enjoying a week of excellent weather with overcast skies and a nip in the air, UAE residents will be greeted with heavy rain and lightning next week, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM).

From Sunday to Tuesday, the upper air depression will deepen gradually, leading to increased cloudiness in scattered areas. These clouds are likely to bring convective activity, resulting in rainfall of varying intensity, lightning, thunder, and possibly hail in some areas, the Met Department said.

Temperatures are expected to decrease as well. Wind patterns will shift from southeasterly to northeasterly, ranging from fresh to strong at times, particularly with clouds, leading to blowing dust and sand and reaching a speed of 15 – 25 reaching 45 Km/hr.

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Sea conditions are forecasted to be rough to very rough in the Arabian Gulf and rough in the Oman Sea, especially during cloudy periods.

These weather disturbances will originate from a surface low-pressure system in the Southwest, coupled with humid southeasterly winds. Additionally, there's an upper air depression with a cold air mass and a westerly trough, resulting in varying cloud cover from the west.

On Sunday (Feb 4), UAE recorded the lowest temperature, dropping to near-freezing at 3.4°C in Jebel Jais Mountains. A chilly 4.2ºC was recorded at 5am on Saturday morning (February 3) at Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah, snapping Al Ain's record of 5.3ºC in Raknah on January 10.

With the onset of the 'Scorpion Season', renowned astronomer Ibrahim Al-Jarwan, a member of the Arab Federation for Space and Astronomy, predicts an increase in rainfall throughout February. The Scorpion Season is known for its characteristic precipitation over extensive regions.

The period, which spans 40 days and commences around February 6 and concludes on March 17, is marked by abundant rain and is characterised by its winds fluctuating between Northwest and Northeast.