Rain in UAE: Unstable weather, overcast skies and more rain in the country, scattered rainfall predicted on Saturday

On Friday, Dubai and Sharjah residents woke up to heavy rainfall, thunder and lightning across the city from 4:45am.

As heavy showers continued till 7am, many schools issued circulars announcing closure and shifted classes online.

While rain continued in parts of Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, the intensity of rain in Dubai had decreased by 8am. By 10am, clouds had decreased over Dubai.

However, according to the Met Office, there is still a chance of more rainfall in some parts of the emirate.

"The country is currently experiencing unstable weather conditions," Eisa Alsereidi, a senior weather forecaster at the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) told Gulf News.

"The weather situation is caused by a surface low pressure or depression, which is at its peak and causing a band of clouds to move from the west to the east of the country, it will pass over Dubai as well," he said.

The surface low-pressure system, accompanied by an extension of an upper-air low-pressure system and very humid air increases the chance of rainfall, the official added.

"Within the next few hours we can expect patches of rain-bearing clouds in different parts of the country, till tonight. Currently it's raining in Abu Dhabi and parts of Fujairah," said Alsereidi.

The NCM issued a weather alert at 10:30am indicating cloud formation over the entire country till 7pm. 

The clouds forming over the country are convective clouds, which typically look like cotton balls piled on top of each other. When these clouds contain moisture, they are the most conducive for successful cloud seeding. The NCM uses advanced weather surveillance systems to monitor the formation of these clouds and the amount of moisture they carry, for cloud seeding, to maximise rainfall in the country.

Multiple cloud seeding flights have also been dispatched to utilise the convective clouds forming over the country, Alsereidi confirmed.

Moderate to heavy rainfall was also recorded in Ras Al Khaimah, causing some valleys to flood.

The NCM shared videos of flooding in Wadi Shawka, Wadi Farfar, and Wadi Asfani in Ras Al Khaimah.

The weather bureau also issued a safety alert warning people to refrain from driving in flood prone areas.

A decrease in temperatures is expected today, according to the NCM.

While humidity will be high, moderate winds will become strong at times causing dust and sand to blow in some areas, reducing horizontal visibility, the NCM said in the daily weather forecast.

Scattered rainfall on Saturday in eastern areas

Unstable weather conditions are expected to end by Friday night, however an extension of the surface low pressure might cause scattered rainfall of a lower intensity on Saturday, said Alsereidi.

"There will be lesser rain, and it would most likely be in eastern and areas to the far north of the UAE, like Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah."