The UAE is braced for further rainfall at the weekend following a Friday deluge that led to widespread disruption.
Large parts of the Emirates were lashed by heavy rain and thunder on Friday morning, leading to road closures and flight cancellations.
The National Centre of Meteorology forecasts further rainfall in Fujairah and Al Ain on Saturday, but expects Abu Dhabi and Dubai to avoid the worst of the unstable weather.
The weather agency said cloudy skies will persist in both the capital and Dubai throughout the day, giving way to sunny conditions on Sunday.
“Partly cloudy in general, with a chance of convective clouds over some islands, some coastal areas extending to some internal areas, associated with rainfall,” the NCM said of Saturday's forecast, in its latest five-day bulletin.
Temperatures are set to rise slightly on Saturday to highs of 30°C and 29°C in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, respectively, 30°C in Ras Al Khaimah and 31°C in Fujairah.
On Sunday, the mercury will rise again to highs of 31°C in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, 31°C in Ras Al Khaimah and 30°C in Fujairah, the NCM said.
Weather forecasting website Windy said there is a chance of more rainfall and thunder in Dubai between 7am and 10am on Saturday, after which skies will clear for the remainder of the weekend.
Windy forecasts a largely dry weekend in store in Abu Dhabi.
UAE hit by morning downpours
Flights were disrupted at Dubai International Airport on Friday due to the adverse weather.
Thirteen inbound flights were redirected to other airports, while six outbound flights were cancelled, a representative for Dubai Airports said.
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority also announced on social media that bus lines across the city were suspended, including the E315 from Dubai to Sharjah and the E411 from Dubai to Ajman.
Dubai Police urged motorists travelling on Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road between Al Rashidiya Bridge and Sharjah to exercise caution and use alternative routes due to flooding in the area.
Sharjah City Municipality said it had sent 96 tanks, 220 mobile pumps and three high-pumping capacity vehicles to clear flooded areas in the emirate.
The National Centre of Meteorology recorded heavy downpours in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Sharjah and Ajman in updates posted to social media.
