Forecasters left in the dark by heavy rain in Dubai

DUBAI // Heavy rain in Dubai forced motorists to be extra careful today as they negotiated rush-hour traffic.

The downpour began in the early hours of the morning and ended at about 6.30am.

It was largely restricted to New Dubai and Jebel Ali, with particularly affected areas being The Greens, Tecom, Dubai Media City, Dubai Marina, JLT as well as parts of Discovery Gardens.

The rain took some forecasters at the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) in Abu Dhabi by surprise.

“We had reports of slight to moderate rain over Jebel Ali at around 5am,” said a forecaster at the centre. “We have not had reports of rain in Dubai itself but it’s a nice surprise.”

Motorists experienced slightly longer traffic queues into Media City as drivers slowed down as a precaution.

There was moderate flooding in parts of the Springs and Meadows, affecting the flow of traffic as some areas were down to one lane instead of two.

Residents in Dubai took to social media network Twitter to report their delight when the rain began to fall.

“It’s officially winter in Dubai :D did anyone else miss the rain?” said Amira Ali A.

“So funny how everyone in Dubai gets so excited over a bit of rain,” said Kira Mukerji.

The weather remained cloudy until the afternoon and this weekend is expected to brighten up.

“We can’t say for certain as it’s not clear in terms of the weather, but Dubai might see some more rain on Sunday,” added the NCMS.

A spokesman for the Civil Defence in Dubai said they had not received any reports of flooding and Dubai Traffic Police said there were no reported traffic accidents.

nhanif@thenational.ae