Dark skies and scattered rain greeted many people across the country as they woke up on Thursday.
The downfalls created disarray across the roads as some drivers struggled with the conditions.
A lorry swerved and tipped over on Mohammed bin Zayed Road in Sharjah, causing several car pile-ups and huge tailbacks and in Ajman, there were 15 to 20 minor car crashes. Police in Dubai did not have figures available.
The National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology tweeted a video on Thursday of a plane flying over Ghantoot seeding the clouds to maximise the rainfall.
In Dubai and the Northern Emirates, the day began with grey skies and light thunder and heavy rainfall followed.
In Ras Al Khaimah, light rain fell throughout the morning, with sporadic downpours, while Ajman and Umm Al Quwain had light rain with high winds. The same picture of cloud cover and rain showers was evident in Sharjah while the eastern and central regions experienced heavy rainfall, particularly around Mleiha.
The lowest temperature yesterday was recorded at Jebel Jais in RAK at 12.2°C.
On Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island, the St Regis residents’ beach was closed because of the weather.
The rains came after a windy, dusty day on Wednesday and the centre predicted this weekend would be “hazy and cloudy at times over some areas”.
Clouds were expected to increase over coastal, northern and island areas with more chance of rainfall.
Majid Nasir, head of marine forecasting at NCMS, said the worst of the rain had passed, with chances of light rain to come but that the sea conditions would be perfect for surfing fans. “Seas will be rough to very rough,” he said.
Internal areas of the country will remain dusty with reduced visibility for the next two days.
newsdesk@thenational.ae