Thunder, lightning and a downpour
Shehaimiya in northwestern Qatar topped the rain charts yesterday with 30.9mm, followed by Dukhan with 16.8mm, Batna with 15.9mm and the Doha airport area with 15.3mm, according to data from the Met department. Other places that received good rains yesterday include Wakrah with 14.4mm, Ghuwairiyah with 13.6mm and Hamad International Airport area with 11.3mm. The Met department warned residents to stay indoors ahead of the rain and “to take extra care during thunderstorms”, AFP reported. Moderate to heavy showers were reported from different parts of Qatar yesterday, accompanied by strong winds blowing at 48 knots in Dukhan with visibility dropping below 1km, the Met department tweeted. From the western areas, the thunderstorms moved towards the central and northern parts of Qatar and later affected Doha and the eastern coast as well. “Please stay indoors during thunderstorms and avoid open areas,” the Met department said in view of the situation and advised people to stay safe. It almost felt like evening around noon yesterday as the skies turned dark even as lightning and thunder illuminated the sky. This was followed by a spell of moderate to heavy rain, accompanied by strong winds and poor visibility in some places. The showers left a number of roads waterlogged but the authorities stepped up their efforts to clear the roads. No major congestion was reported as roads and tunnels remained open. The Ministry of Interior issued an advisory on how to drive safely in adverse weather conditions.