Cooler weather ahead as UAE heads into first weekend of Ramadan fasting

Around 4.6mm of rain fell in the mountains over the past two days, which is set to clear but cloudy skies will mean lower temperatures

Cloud cover will increase on Tuesday in some parts of the UAE, forecasters say. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National

Good news for those fasting and feeling the summer heat – there will be a small respite this weekend as temperatures drop as much as 4°C below average and cloudy skies offer shade from the scorching sun.

Rain intermittently lashed parts of the country on Thursday leading to heavy congestion, with 4.6mm falling in some areas. The National Centre for Meteorology shared videos of drivers negotiating puddles in areas such as Mussaffah, Abu Dhabi, confirming that rain had also fallen on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi International Airport, Al Falah, Mohammed bin Zayed City and Al Shamkha.

Many residents also shared their own pictures and videos of the rain on social media. The rain clouds, which originated over the Western Coast, and were not a result of cloud seeding, said forecasters.

But will it be a wet weekend? Doubtful, say the NCM.

_______________

Read more:

The rain men: everything you need to know about UAE's cloud seeding missions

Is there a way to make cloud seeding more effective?

_______________

“There will be fair weather in general, with some cloud. There won’t be any rain,” they said. Instead it will be partly cloudy and therefore cooler, which may be come as welcome news to those heading into the first weekend of Ramadan fasting.

Temperatures will hover at between 32°C to 37°C, a 3-4°C drop from normal. But they will rise again next week, reaching 43°C, said the forecasters, with high humidity in some areas.