Summer dreams of cooling rain are about to come true … in bucket-loads

▶ Northern Emirates get rain, thunder and hail as rest of country is told to brace itself

A storm that dropped heavy rain, made the mountains gush waterfalls and scattered hail across the desert in the Northern Emirates is expected to move across the country today.

Abu Dhabi last night had a taste of what has been forecast to come with extremely strong wind in the late evening.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other parts of the country are also expected to have a drenching today, possible accompanied by thunder and lightning, as experienced by the northern parts of the country yesterday.

And the nation’s weather bureau says the cooler, wetter weather could well be with us until tomorrow.

Pictures on social media yesterday showed a white coat of hail in parts of Ras Al Khaimah, where the UAE’s tallest peak, Jebel Jais, experienced temperatures as low as 4°C last week.

The unstable weather has prompted the National Centre of Meteorology to warn the public to avoid going to sea as the wind picks up in speed, gusting to 45kph.

“The sea will be around six to eight feet, or even more, because of the clouds,” said bureau meteorologist Ahmad Al Kamali.

“And other than the sea, I would warn drivers that there could be some poor visibility.

“I would suggest that they take care when driving, to drive slowly because of the fresh winds and poor visibility and also to stay away from waterfalls in the mountains.”

The centre of meteorology was out in the middle of the storm yesterday, firing at least 70 seeding flares into clouds as part of its rain enhancement programme.

For one visitor to Ras Al Khaimah, the intensity of the weekend storm was beyond anything she had ever seen – even in her homeland of Scotland.

“It’s quite a spectacle,” Janis Britton said of the thunder and lightning.

Rain, thunderstorms and hail covered parts of the Northern Emirates yesterday and there was a warning that conditions could intensify and spread overnight, according to the National Centre for Meteorology.

“We are expecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi will have some rain,” said weather bureau meteorologist Ahmad Al Kamali. “Probably, there will be more cities having more rain.”

The wild weather over many parts of the Northern Emirates and the Al Dhafra Region yesterday afternoon was frequently accompanied by spectacular lightning, booming thunder and – at least in Ras Al Khaimah – hail, which prompted authorities to issue warnings to residents.

The weather bureau also elevated its warnings from yellow, or “be aware,” to orange, which calls on the public to “be prepared” and “on the alert” for hazardous weather, especially in RAK, Fujairah, Al Ruwais and the western islands.

Heavy rain was reported over Jebel Jais in RAK, Dibba in Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain and Al Dhafra throughout the afternoon.

Janis Britton, who is visiting her family in RAK from Scotland, said she has never witnessed a storm as intense as the one that moved into the area around 2pm yesterday.

“The lightning is quite spectacular,” said Mrs Britton, who was having lunch at her daughter’s house when the storm began.

“It slowly progressed into a full-on thunder and lightning storm. It was really wild. We get heavy rain in Scotland, but it’s never coupled with this sort of thunder and lightning, on such a scale. It is absolutely surreal.”

Mr Al Kamali said the bureau had sent out three cloud-seeding flights, putting 70 flares into the atmosphere by 4pm.

In some parts of the country, wind speeds were forecast to reach 35 to 45 kph, peaking at 45 to 55 kph, forcing the waves in the Arabian Gulf to swell to a height of four to six feet, and possibly up to nine feet in case of storm activity, according to the weather bureau.

The sea advisory, issued on its Twitter account and through Wam, the state news agency, is effective until noon today.

The rain, lightning and overall “unstable weather conditions” are forecast for much of the country – intensifying today and tapering out by tomorrow afternoon, Mr Al Kamali said.

Coastal temperatures will reach highs of between 22°C and 27°C. The interior will feel slightly warmer, and highs will range from 24°C to 29°C.