UAE hit by month of rain in a day - with more wet weather to come

Ras Al Khaimah was hit by more than a month of rain in a day on Sunday, as stormy winter weather swept across the Emirates.

The National Centre of Meteorology said 12.5mm of rain was recorded during daytime hours at the emirate's Saqr Port, well above the historical average of 8.7mm for the month.

It was the highest amount of rainfall across the country in a weekend as Dubai and the Northern Emirates witnessed the start of a December deluge, which is forecast to continue until the end of this week.

The UAE often receives fewer than 100mm of rain annually, with this figure falling to only 39.4mm in 2021 and 51.5mm in 2023.

Last year proved a striking exception to the norm, due to the unprecedented April storms that caused flooding across much of the country.

The UAE experienced its largest day of rainfall in 75 years on April 16, 2024. In Al Ain alone 254mm fell, the equivalent of two years' average.

The NCM released details on the unstable conditions as it warned of more downpours in prospect in the coming days.

The weather centre said the “main rainfall wave” was expected to hit the Emirates on Thursday and Friday, in its latest update.

The severe conditions are forecast to set in over the western regions before gradually moving to affect Abu Dhabi during late Thursday night and early Friday morning.

“During Friday daytime, rainfall is expected to extend to include the northern regions, Al Ain, and the eastern areas, with cloud amounts decreasing during the evening and night,” the NCM said.

Its online weather map projects heavy rainfall in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Northern Emirates on both Thursday and Friday.

Daytime temperatures are expected to drop markedly on Friday, falling t