UAE weather: What is the Christmas forecast and will there be rain?

More showers may fall across the UAE over the next few days after the deluge of last Thursday and Friday, with a wet Christmas possible in some areas.

In its five-day bulletin published on Wednesday, the National Centre of Meteorology cautioned that there was a chance of rain every day until Sunday.

It warned that the islands and Northern Emirates were most likely to be affected with potentially heavy rain at times over the north.

The festive period – from December 25 to 29 – will bring cooler temperatures at night, due to the passage of a weak extension of a low-pressure system.

The forecast follows the rains that hammered the country last week. Ras Al Khaimah bore the brunt of the unstable weather with 127mm of rain noted in the Al Ghaznah area of the emirate over the two days – an amount that typically exceeds the UAE’s average annual rainfall.

However, the effects were felt across the UAE, with roads flooded, bus services cut and major delays at airports, although the Northern Emirates were more affected.

Aftermath of heavy night time rain in Dubai 00:55

Jason Nicholls, AccuWeather lead international forecaster, said the northern UAE can get more rain than the far south for two reasons.

“The area from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah is along the coast, with the area farthest north being a peninsula surrounded by the Arabian Gulf on three sides. This provides a moisture source that is lacking in the desert areas farther south,” Mr Nicholls told The National.

“The mountains also help with the lifting of moist air,