Warning of flash floods at weekend

Weather forecasters have warned families planning camping trips during the Eid al Adha holiday that flash floods are possible for the rest of the week.

Ominous clouds cast a shadow over Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

ABU DHABI // Weather forecasters have warned families planning camping trips over the Eid al Adha holiday that flash floods are possible for the rest of the week. Rain fell in many areas yesterday, heralding the overcast sky and wet weather expected for at least the next few days. With thousands of people expected to set off on traditional camping trips to wadis and other remote desert areas when work finishes tomorrow, the advice is to think of something else to do.

Clive Stevens, a forecaster at Dubai International Airport, advised people specifically to avoid the wadis, most of which are in Ras al Khaimah, Fujairah and Hatta. "People tend to go to the wadis at this time of year. That's not recommended at all. Avoid the wadis this weekend," he said. "The intensity of showers will be enough to cause problems. You can get flash floods." James Falchetto, from the Ras al Khaimah adventure company Traks, said that if people did get into difficulty they should stay where they are and not attempt to cross moving water.

"That's very dangerous and that's how people die each year. If you are trapped, wait for the water to come down. It normally takes 12 to 24 hours," he said. As well as flash floods, outdoor enthusiasts also were warned of the risk of rock falls. Most rocks here are made of limestone which, while very dense, is flaky, Mr Falchetto said. "When it rains, it cracks very easily," he said. "You have these huge slabs anchored to each other and the water going through the cracks washes off the dirt.

"It becomes unsettled and right after rains you will see huge slabs of rock coming off." With storms possible, Mr Falchetto said people should also be aware of the risk of lightning strikes. "You want to make sure you don't stand next to a tree or have a 6ft fishing rod in your hands," he said. The sea could also be hazardous, with waves reaching as high as six feet. "The sea will be unsettled and unreliable," Mr Stevens said.

Yesterday in Dubai, the temperature reached only 24C, which is several degrees below the average for this time of year. The low temperature was 19C, also down on the seasonal norm. This week's unsettled weather was caused by a layer of cold area that has moved over the country from Iran. This is positioned above much warmer air over the sea, which has retained heat from the summer. Turnword:weather

Mr Stevens said that only 3km from ground level, the air was freezing, while the sea was still a "relatively warm" 26C. "That makes it relatively unstable. It's like if you have a pot of water and you heat it from below, it bubbles and you have quite explosive convection," he said. The unstable conditions are likely to continue for the next four days, which Mr Stevens said was unusually long for a period of unsettled weather in early December.

Motorists in parts of the country had to deal with hazardous conditions during yesterday's rains, with reports of drivers aquaplaning on the Dubai to Abu Dhabi road in the morning. But while the wet weather is a danger to motorists, it is a bonanza for car washers. Drivers are expected to flock to service station car washes, and individual car cleaners in neighbourhoods are likely to be extremely busy, once the weather clears.

Sherif Hassan, who operates an Adnoc car wash in the capital, said "everybody was waiting for the rain to end" before washing their vehicles. "After the rain it will be too busy," he said. [e-mail]