Tornado spotted in Al Ain as Northern Emirates hit by heavy rain and high winds

Large parts of the country faced a deluge on Wednesday

A mini-tornado was spotted sweeping through Al Ain on Wednesday as large parts of the UAE were lashed by heavy rain and high winds.

Dramatic footage of the twister was shared on popular social media channel, Storm Centre.

The sighting came during a second day of stormy conditions in the country.

The National Centre of Meteorology issued an alert over the prospect of rainfall and winds of up to 40 kilometres an hour continuing until 8pm.

Heavy rain was recorded in Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Al Ain throughout the afternoon.

Videos posted by the NCM showed large pools of water forming on roads.

Members of the public were urged to take care in the challenging conditions.

Abu Dhabi Police called on motorists to exercise caution during the wet weather and to abide by changeable speed limits displayed on electronic information boards.

Tornadoes, often described as twisters, are vertical funnels of rapidly spinning air, typically formed during storms.

Although uncommon in the UAE, such phenomena can occur during bouts of unstable weather.

Last October, a waterspout was filmed off the coast of Fujairah, with the NCM sharing a video of it on its Twitter feed.