Abu Dhabi gets drenched

While various parts of the nation witnessed grey skies and heavy rain for the second day in a row, the Capital experienced thunderstorms on Tuesday. The wet weather, which came abruptly after a sunny weekend, was due to an extension of low pressure coming from southwestern UAE.
In the Capital, scattered rain and thick dark skies took over the city early morning. The city woke up to light drizzles, which cleared towards mid morning.
In the afternoon, however, heavy showers hit the city and residents were seen running to seek shelter. But a few others simply walked in the rain enjoying every minute.
Jacob Williams told Khaleej Times that he is used to seeing rain back in his hometown in England, but is surprised at with how swiftly it hit the city on Tuesday.
"We get rain all the time in England, even during summer," he said, adding that, "but I must admit that it's nice having some wet weather here."
"I love how people in the UAE appreciate the rain so much, unlike back home," he laughed.
His wife on the other hand, said she would rather see more sun, and hopes the weather will clear by the weekend.
"We get plenty of rain back home, so I hope the skies clear before the weekend, because we were planning to go to the beach," she added.
Forecasters, however, predict the weather will remain unstable throughout the week, and temperatures will be between 25 to 30 degrees Celsius inland, noting that waters in the Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea will be rough.
Dubai and Sharjah have also seen different levels of rain, although less heavy than the Capital. On Tuesday, a rooftop of an entrance of an Abu Dhabi school collapsed due the intensity of the heavy rain, although no injuries have been reported.
The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) issued warnings about the pending inclement weather and asked the UAE residents to prepare for the unsettling conditions.
Forecasters note there will be a "continuity of increasing amount of clouds with a chance of scattered thundery rain associated with fresh to strong winds at times causing rough sea and dusty conditions with poor visibility over land."
According to NCMS, Abu Dhabi, along with the Western Region, the Western Coast, Madinat Zayed, Liwa, Al Ain, as well certain parts of Dubai, received various intensities of rain on Monday.
The forecast for the northern and eastern parts of the country has brought lashing floods, and are also expected to continue until Thursday.
Police urged residents to stay safe and remain clear from valleys during flash floods, as it could end in fatality, as recently witnessed in Ras Al Khaimah, when a mother and her three children were killed due to heavy floods.
Police in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah have thus increased the number of patrols; moreover, 50 patrols have been on duty throughout UAE, ready to deal with accidents.
The lowest temperature in the country was in Jais Mountain, where temperatures dropped to 11.6 degrees C, whereas Um Azimul had the highest temperature of 34.1 degrees C.
Abu Dhabi had the average temperature of 23.8 degrees C, while Dubai felt slightly warmer, with an average of 24.7 degrees C.
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com

Commuters cross the street on a rainy afternoon in Abu Dhabi. Photo By Ryan Lim