UAE set for wet and windy weather next week after recent deluge

Weather bureau predicts further rainfall after parts of country hit by heavy downpours, thunder and lightning

Roads in Dubai were waterlogged on Friday after heavy rain the previous day. Antonie Robertson / The National

The UAE is braced for more wet weather next week after much of the country was lashed by heavy rain, thunder and lightning in recent days.

The National Centre of Meteorology warned of further rainfall and high winds to come, with the unstable conditions expected to persist until Thursday.

The weather bureau said Monday would be "partly cloudy at times ... with a probability of rainfall over some coastal and western areas" in its latest five-day bulletin.

It said winds could reach speeds of up to 40kph, leading to dusty conditions.

Despite the wet and windy weather in store, temperatures are expected to remain unseasonably high as November approaches.

Daytime temperatures will peak at 36°C in Dubai and Al Ain on Monday and will hit 35°C in Abu Dhabi, according to the NCM's online weather map.

November typically heralds the start of the UAE's cooler weather season, with daytime temperatures usually dropping below 30°C towards the end of the month.

Weather warnings were in place this week as parts of the Emirates experienced a deluge of rain.

Heavy rain started to move across Dubai and the Northern Emirates into the east of the country on Thursday afternoon.

The downpours in Dubai and Abu Dhabi started early in the day, with thunder and lightning in both emirates on Thursday evening.

The unstable weather continued into Friday with parts of Dubai lashed by heavy rain accompanied by thunder in the morning.

The UAE Cabinet on Thursday advised public sector workers and public schools to return to remote working and distance learning on Friday in response to the adverse weather.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation urged private-sector companies “to apply flexible work patterns” in a post issued on social media platform, X, formerly Twitter.

Abu Dhabi's private schools were told to revert to distance learning on Friday, while Dubai's private schools were urged to put similar plans in place, due to the hazardous weather.

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