Heavy showers forecast in UAE

Heavy showers forecast in UAE
By Mahmood Saberi, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Last updated: January 11, 2008, 17:03

Dubai: It will be dark, overcast and wet over the weekend with heavy thundershowers in the northern parts of the emirates, according to the Dubai Met office.

An intense low pressure is moving rapidly towards the emirates already drenching Doha, Qatar, Bahrain and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and the heavy showers will hit UAE on Monday and Tuesday, Dr. S.K. Gupta, duty forecaster, said.

He expects the rainfall will exceed the maximum this time of the year and will reach 16.5 mm.

Strong winds will whip up six to eight foot waves offshore. "A marine warning will be out," said the forecaster. The winds will whip up a dust haze initially but it will not affect flights, he said.

The usual bright sunny days will return only on Wednesday. The low pressure will dissipate the cold and nights will not be as freezing.

"The daytime temperature will rise to 24 degrees Celsius and the minimum will go up to 16 to 17 degrees," according to the forecaster.

The temperature had dropped to a minimum 8 degrees Celsius at some places Like Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah, which recently experienced hailstorms. "The cloud cover will lift the temperatures higher," said the forecaster.

The low pressure will move on to Oman and beyond from Wednesday onwards.