DUBAI: Heavy rainfall lashed large parts of the United Arab Emirates, from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, as well as northern emirates, on Thursday night and Friday, Gulf News reported.

As per the UAE’s Natio­nal Centre of Meteorology (NCM), “unstable conditions driven by a low-pressure system have brought repeated waves of rain, strong winds, and thunderstorms across the country”.

Gulf News said that flas­h­­­­es of “lightning, booming thunder, and heavy down­­pours” were repor­t­­ed by residents in major cities across the Gulf sta­te, from Thursday night into Friday early morning.

The unstable weather also brought “thunderstor­­ms, dust-raising winds, and reduced visibility”. Heavy rainfall also flooded streets in some locations, according to the report.

In Sharjah, heavy rain caused wadis to flow, “temporarily disrupting traffic on roads”. According to Gulf News, residents said the “skies put on a full-blown light-and-sound show — booming thunderclaps and electric streaks of lightning flashing overhead, all at the height of raging storm clouds that dumped sheets of rain across a vast stretch of the area”.

UAE’s Fujairah was among the “hardest hit”.

As per the report, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority has advised the public to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity and “stay away from billboards, unstable trees and loose objects during periods of strong winds”.

According to NCM, the rainfall is to continue into Friday with “convective clouds moving across Al Dhafra and the northern emirates”.

Citing data from the NCM, Gulf News added that the highest amount of rain was reported in Shoukah, Ras Al Khaimah, where precipitation reached 77.5 millimetres — the heaviest in the country during this weather event.

Kalba in Sharjah ranked second with 65.8mm, followed by Umm Al Gaf in Ras Al Khaimah with 60.6mm.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2026