Dust storm and light rain hit Al Ain

Residents were surprised as dust storm and light rain hit Al Ain on Thursday afternoon. The dust storm damaged many trees and billboards around the city. The storm swept across the city, forcing people to take cover. Several iftar charity tents, which were not dismantled due to Eid holidays, were blown away in the strong winds. It was just a drizzle in downtown area of the city, but light to moderate rain was reported in some suburban areas of Al Ain. A weather forecaster said it was a sudden development that also led to rain in the eastern region of the Abu Dhabi. "We were expecting dust winds and reduction in horizontal visibility to 2,000 meters in the country's southeast areas," said the forecaster. But it turned into a storm that also hit Al Ain city. The situation was tougher in open areas in the south of the city such as Al Wagan and Umm Al Zumol. The storm, however, lasted for around 30 minutes and there was no report of any casualties or traffic accidents from the police and the Civil Defence. According to the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology, the weather will be hazy and partly cloudy over some areas, especially over eastern and internal areas. There are also chances of few towering clouds over some western and southern areas by afternoon. Winds are likely to be light to moderately rough. Sea will be moderately rough in general for the next 24 hours.