UAE heavy rain alert: Orange warning issued as unstable weather peaks today

Screengrabs: Storm Centre

An orange alert was issued on Thursday as heavy rains and thunderstorms lashed the UAE. While many residents some woke up early in the morning as downpours and strong winds struck their neighbourhoods. In the north, waterfalls gushed out as dark rain clouds hovered over the mountains.

Heavy rain started pounding the country since midnight, with Dubai seeing showers and lightning as early as 2.35am, according to alerts issued by the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM).

The NCM raised an orange warning for nearly all areas in the country, forecasting hazardous weather events until 8pm tonight.

Here are the affected areas:

At around 4am, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa had been enveloped by thick clouds as Downtown saw rain accompanied by lightning strikes.

A similar scene unfolded in Abu Dhabi, particularly at the site of the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque:

In the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah, residents captured a waterfall gushing out:

The UAE has been preparing for this wave of unstable weather over the past few days, with safety advisories issued across sectors. Schools are on distance learning, while companies are urged to let employees work from home. Parks and beaches have been closed.

These rains, however, are expected to be less severe than the unprecedented weather that hit the country on April 16.