UAE Rain: One Indian dies as downpour floods Dubai, WFH advisory issued; more rain expected over weekend

UAE Dubai Rain: The United Arab Emirates will see heavy rainfall today, on 19 December, with continued rain expected on Saturday and Sunday (20-21 December), as per data from the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), Gulf News reported.

Reports added that 27-year-old Salman Fariz, an Indian expat had died in Ras Al Khaimah after a wall collapsed during heavy rains.

Dubai rains: Roads flooded, advisory issued to motorists — WATCH

The report said that rainfall which began on 18 December is expected to continue till 21 December due to cloud formations. Strong winds, as high as 50 kmh are expected to cause problems, while waters in the Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea will also be rough due to the weather conditions, the report added.

Emergency response, travel advisory — What we know

• The Dubai Municipality has put a 24/7 emergency response system on standby, including specialised teams and equipment to deal with rain-related incidents.
• Officials have alerted travel advisory asking people to avoid traveling during the weekend except for emergencies, and many offices have initiated work-from-home (WFH) for employees as the rough weather continues.
• Flights have also been disrupted, with airlines, including IndiGo issuing advisories amid the busiest season of the year.
• In a detailed post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), IndiGo stated, “Travel Advisory: Weather conditions across the UAE are forecast to shift, with heavy rainfall and thunderstorm expected. In light of this evolving situation, there may be intermittent impacts to flight operations at various points throughout the day.”

UAE, Dubai rains: What is the weekend forecast?

As per the Gulf News report, on 20 December, conditions are expected to be partly cloudy to cloudy, with rainfall predicted over coastal, northern and eastern areas. Fresh Northwesterly to Southwesterly winds with speeds between 15-30 kmh and expected to rise to 50 kmh are likely. The Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea are both likely to experience rough waters.

Further, on 21 December, the skies are expected to be partly cloudy, with probability of rainfall over the islands, coastal and western areas. Fresh light-to-moderate Southwesterly to Northwesterly winds are expected between 10-25 lmh, reaching highs of 35 kmh. The Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea are both likely to experience rough-to-moderate waters.