Gulf News
 

Al Ain/Dubai, Aug 2: Monsoon clouds produced light drizzle in some parts of the country on Tuesday but the heavy rain forecasters thought was a possibility failed to materialise.

Light rain was reported in Fujairah and Al Ain and thick clouds blanketed the sky in many other parts of the country. Further afield, rain was reported in the Omani capital Muscat.

More cloudy weather is likely today and tomorrow but forecasters say the chance of heavy rain has receded.

David Vorster, duty forecaster at Dubai International Airport, said the overcast conditions were due to monsoon clouds moving in from the east.

The same "upper air disturbance" weather system has produced severe weather in parts of the Indian subcontinent.

"The latest models expect it to be clear on Friday so there's still a chance of rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

"The models are most optimistic of rain on Thursday, but much less optimistic than before. We were quite excited earlier in the week. The chances of rain are highest in Al Ain and east of Al Ain," he said.

He said the latest forecast was that the monsoon clouds would produce just 1mm of rain in Dubai, well down on previous expectations which were for quite heavy rainfall.

However, he said predictions could change rapidly so there was a slim possibility of more substantial rainfall, something he said would be "very unusual" at this time of year.

"If we get 10mm of rainfall it would be a once in 100 years event. When there is rain at this time of year, it is because of thunderstorms over the mountains, but this is not the same thing at all it is monsoon cloud," he said.

Yesterday, conditions were overcast for most of the eastern, northern and central parts of the emirates with thick cloud in the skies. The cloudy weather helped to slightly reduce maximum temperatures in some parts of the country.