NCM urges UAE residents to ignore weather rumours, follow official updates

SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)

As the unstable weather continues in the UAE, authorities have urged the public to stay informed and rely only on official forecasts and updates.

The reminder comes as rumours circulated online, including unverified claims of potential weather events, such as tornadoes, which were not part of any official advisory.

In a statement to Aletihad, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) emphasised that such claims are inaccurate and not supported by current data.

The public should not be swayed by circulating misinformation, the NCM said. “We should look and rely on news that is published or mentioned by the centre. The centre did not mention anything except what is written [in its forecasts].”

In an update on Thursday, the NCM announced that the country will continue to be affected by a rainy weather system until Friday night. 
On Thursday evening, the main weather system was seen in the far west of the country, with heavy rainfall recorded in scattered areas. It was expected to gradually extend to the emirate of Abu Dhabi between 1am and 3am on Friday, and would also include Dubai, the northern coasts, and the southern interior regions, accompanied by heavy rainfall.

The weather system was projected to extend to the northern and eastern regions, in addition to the Al Ain area, between 4am and 5am on Friday, with continued heavy rainfall.

The NCM pointed out that there remains a chance for rain clouds to form over scattered areas of the country, accompanied by rainfall ranging from moderate to heavy at times, continuing until Friday night.