Calm after the storm - sunny weather set to return

After a week of unstable weather, residents can look forward to clearer skies and warmer temperatures

Hot and humid days are a regular occurrence in the UAE and the rest of the Gulf region. Victor Besa / The National

The UAE’s week-long bout of bad weather is set to finally come to an end - as clearer skies and balmy temperatures return to the country.

The unstable weather spell, which saw the UAE experience lashing rain, thunder, lightning, flooding, hail, and occasional sunny periods, culminated in sub-zero temperatures on Wednesday on high ground in Ras Al Khaimah, which resulted in snow falling on the UAE’s highest peak.

The rest of the UAE was uncharacteristically chilly, with highs of only around 20°C.

But temperatures will be on the rise again on Thursday accompanied by calm conditions over the next week.

“We have high pressure building,” said a forecaster at National Centre of Meteorology.

“The low pressure system also passed through late this morning. We will have stable weather over the coming days. We will be back to 23°C to 25°C or 26°C. This is the norm for this time of year.”

The only risk of rain over the coming days are light showers on Monday in the north-east, according to weather charts on Windy.com.

“Within this next week we don’t have anything significant, and we are monitoring the situation,” said the NCM forecaster.

But calmer conditions can bring their own risk of another type of disruptive weather: fog, which prompted police in Abu Dhabi to reduce speed limits to 80kph several times in December.

The calm weather combined with rising humidity late on Friday into Saturday morning could result in patches of mist over scattered areas, according to forecasters at NCM.