UAE weather live: Emirates hit by severe storms
President Sheikh Mohamed has called for a quick response from authorities after the storms that caused havoc across the UAE this week.
His comments came after extreme weather in which the UAE was hit with more rain this week than it would normally expect to receive in more than a year, according to official figures.
Sheikh Mohamed expressed his appreciation for the awareness and responsibility shown by people during the adverse weather conditions, reported state news agency Wam.
He has requested that authorities quickly work on limiting the damage caused after the country witnessed its heaviest rainfall on record.
Sheikh Mohamed also asked that necessary support be provided to all families affected by the severe weather, ordering that they be moved to safe locations in co-operation with local authorities, Wam reported.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, also commented on the effects of the extreme weather.
"Crises reveal the strength of countries and societies … and the natural climate crisis that we experienced showed great care, awareness, cohesion and love for every corner of the country from all its citizens and residents," he wrote on social media platform X.
"May God protect the UAE and its society, and perpetuate its glory, pride and safety."
The National Centre of Meteorology issued a weather map charting how much rain had fallen across every part of the Emirates.
Five areas received at least 200mm of rain in the period – double the country's typical annual rainfall.
The highest accumulation was 259.5mm in Khatam Al Shaklah in Al Ain, while 239mm of rain fell in Kalba, Sharjah.
The heavy rain, thunder and lightning caused chaos across the country, with an Emirati man dying during flash floods in Ras Al Khaimah on Tuesday.
The man, who was in his 70s, was killed when his vehicle was swept away by strong currents. Police said he had been trying to travel through a flooded wadi.
With widespread flooding across much of the country, the roads are still treacherous.
Remote learning will remain in place for the rest of the week at government schools, while private schools across the country will largely follow suit.
The Dubai government has also mandated that all affiliated entities will continue to work remotely on both Thursday and Friday.
Travel has been significantly affected, though the pressure on public services beginning to ease by Wednesday evening.
Flights were severely disrupted, with roads leading to Dubai International Airport remaining blocked and flooded.
Several passengers missed flights while many airlines cancelled or diverted services after the airport was forced to cease operations for 25 minutes on Tuesday evening.
Emirates airline suspended check-in for passengers departing from Dubai until 9am on Thursday, while Air Arabia announced that their Wednesday flights to the UAE had been cancelled or rescheduled.
Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport saw 21 flights redirected from Dubai, 20 of which were passenger flights. The capital’s airport remained fully operational throughout the storm.
Transport links across Dubai were severely affected, with both the Dubai Metro and the Dubai Tram pausing operations amid widespread flooding.
The tram returned to normal service at about 1pm on Wednesday, while Dubai Metro stations began reopening shortly after 5pm.
Traffic was at a standstill on stretches of Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road for much of the day and some motorists abandoned their vehicles on the motorway.
The National's Ramola Talwar Badam witnessed the disruption, noting that several exits, both Abu Dhabi and Dubai-bound, remained waterlogged.
She said some motorists left flood-damaged cars and were walking on the motorway to escape the growing queues.
Police were sent to the area in an attempt to manage traffic flow and ensure public safety.
After the storm, many people took to social media to speculate that the country’s cloud-seeding programme – a process that attempts to coax more rain from a cloud – was responsible for the deluge.
But the country’s weather bureau said no such missions had taken place.
Cloud seeding did not cause storms
A representative for the NCM confirmed to The National on Wednesday that its seeding planes had not approached the storm.
“The NCM didn't conduct any seeding operations during this event,” it said in a statement.
“One of the basic principles of cloud seeding is that you have to target clouds in its early stage before it rains. If you have a severe thunderstorm situation, then it is too late to conduct any seeding operation.
“We take the safety of our people, pilots and aircraft very seriously. NCM doesn't conduct cloud seeding operations during extreme weather events.”
Some reports on Tuesday attributed comments to an NCM forecaster stating seeding had taken place.
But the bureau said planes had been in the air in the days running up to the storm but they had only “taken samples” and had not been seeding clouds.
The NCM oversees the seeding programme and has previously stated several times that it is too dangerous to use seeding planes during severe weather.
It has also previously stated that, during bouts of unsettled weather when seeding does take place, the process would not create thunderstorms.
“Some say we are responsible for storms. We are not responsible for this,” an NCM forecaster previously told The National.
“Aircraft do not go inside storm clouds if they are strong or dangerous. All we do is try to strengthen some clouds.”
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More from Neighbourhood Watch
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
- English Premier League
- Spanish Primera Liga
- Italian, French and Scottish leagues
- Wimbledon and other tennis majors
- Formula One
- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups
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RESULTS
Women:
55kg brown-black belt: Amal Amjahid (BEL) bt Amanda Monteiro (BRA) via choke
62kg brown-black belt: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Ffion Davies (GBR) via referee’s decision (0-0, 2-2 adv)
70kg brown-black belt: Ana Carolina Vieira (BRA) bt Jessica Swanson (USA), 9-0
90kg brown-black belt: Angelica Galvao (USA) bt Marta Szarecka (POL) 8-2
Men:
62kg black belt: Joao Miyao (BRA) bt Wan Ki-chae (KOR), 7-2
69kg black belt: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Gianni Grippo (USA), 2-2 (1-0 adv)
77kg black belt: Espen Mathiesen (NOR) bt Jake Mackenzie (CAN)
85kg black belt: Isaque Braz (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE), 2-0
94kg black belt: Felipe Pena (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL), 4-0
110kg black belt final: Erberth Santos (BRA) bt Lucio Rodrigues (GBR) via rear naked choke
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
