Flash floods in Sharjah on wet Wednesday across UAE

Latest: More rain forecast for UAE as northern emirates workers stay home Sharjah was hit by flash floods for a second day with drivers in the emirate battling challenging road conditions. Large pools of standing water formed on roads in Khor Fakkan on Wednesday after similar scenes the previous day. The East Coast enclave has been lashed by torrential rain during unsettled weather affecting much of the country. Dramatic footage showed storms light up the early morning sky in the area. Kalba, also in Sharjah, and Fujairah, were also hit by heavy rain on Wednesday. The National Centre of Meteorology issued an alert shortly after 5am on Wednesday urging people in eastern areas of the country to take care during hazardous conditions. People were advised to stay away from areas of flash floods and where pools of rain had accumulated. The weather centre reported heavy rain in Sharjah, Fujairah and Al Ain between 2am and 4am. It said there was further rainfall in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah shortly after 6am. Videos from Storm Centre UAE showed roads badly flooded after torrential rain. Residents caught up in wet weather Emirati fisherman Ahmad Darweesh, from Kalba, said older roads in the area were worst hit by the weather. “Several roads and mainly old ones have been flooded but the municipality is on site and I saw them dealing with the issue suing pumps to reduce the amount of water,” he said. “One of the roads I passed by near the Clock Tower was flooded from pavement to pavements. “The rain is very heavy. It started yesterday and would stop for only five or ten minutes then resume.” Khalid Saleem, who lives in Khor Fakkan, said water flooded the street and the pavement before it made its way inside the fitness centre he works at. "Some machines were also flooded by water not just the floor." He said most shops on the same street are facing the same problem which regularly happens during spells of heavy rain. It was a similarly soggy story in Fujairah. Khalid Salim from the Merbah area of the emirate, said some poorly-maintained roads quickly flooded. “They are full of cracks and holes that are now flooded by rain water,” he said. “It was very heavy around dawn but is now moderate, it didn’t stop though.” Fatima Al Shujaa, head of media department at Dibba Fujairah Municipality, said no flooding of homes had been reported but the authority remained on alert. Police in Fujairah called on drivers to stay away from flooded areas and to keep a safe distance from other vehicles during the rainy weather. Unstable weather in the UAE and Oman is expected to continue for the next few days, with haze and rain expected in some areas. Forecasters at the NCM said it will be cloudy over scattered areas of the Emirates on Wednesday. The centre said wet weather was in prospect because of the formation of convective clouds until 9pm on Wednesday. The temperature is likely to fall slightly too, with lows of 29°C in Dubai and 30°C in Abu Dhabi, but the weather is expected to clear up by Saturday. Thursday looks to be similar, with fresh winds and possible rain likely to continue. However, the NCM predicted a slight increase in temperature, with lows of 30°C in Dubai and 31°C in Abu Dhabi. On Tuesday, the weather forecaster issued an alert over dusty conditions as rain fell across the country. On its Twitter page, footage was shared showing challenging driving conditions during downpours in Dubai and Sharjah, and police authorities issued warnings urging people to drive carefully and stay away from wadis. There was a wet start to the day in Oman on Wednesday, with heavy rain forecast from early morning, with sunnier intervals by lunchtime. Dry weather is then set to continue for the rest of the week, with the temperature expected to rise to 32°C by the end of the week.

Flash floods in Sharjah on wet Wednesday across UAE

An urgent committee will be set up to assess the damage and safeguard property and people