Dubai, Mar 9: Rain and thunderstorms caused disruptions across the UAE on Wednesday morning as flights were cancelled and schools were closed in Abu Dhabi and early disbursal announced in several schools in Dubai.
The rainy and overcast conditions are likely to continue till Thursday Morning. "Unstable weather is likely to persist over the country. The amount of clouds will increase over scattered areas accompanied with towering clouds and thunder," said National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS).
The department added different intensity of rain and showers shall hit different areas causing flood like conditions in eastern and northern mountain areas.
"Moderate to fresh winds, strong at times during the thunder activity, are likely. Sea is moderate in general, becoming rough at times over the Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea," NCMS stated on twitter.
There have been reports of rainfall Al Makhtoon International airport and Al Ain. Abu Dhabi also received rainfall on Tuesday, forcing the administration to shut closed for Wednesday.
Meanwhile the rainy conditions caused inconvenience to the officers goers who had to driver through wet flooded road to work. Road Transport Authority cautioned commuters to drive safe.
Schools to remain shut on Thursday
All schools, both government and private, across the UAE will remain shut on Thursday, March 10, as per an order from the UAE Ministry of Education.
"Hussein Al Hamadi, the Minister of Education, issued a decision to provisionally suspend the official working hours on Thursday of all government and private schools in the state," a statement from the Ministry of Education read.
"The decision comes due to weather conditions, and to ensure the safety of students. Students will come back on next Sunday."
However, Indian curriculum schools and centers of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) annual board exams for Grade 10 and 12 will remain open and examinations will take place as per the timetable, until further notice.
Students attempting the examinations have to appear at the centers an hour earlier. "The students are required to come to the examination hall at 8.15 am. However, given the weather and traffic conditions, the students have to come in an hour earlier at 7.15 am," said Ashok Kumar, CEO of Indian High School.
Mohammed Darwish, Chief of Regulations and Permits Commission at Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said, “Due to predicted weather conditions, private schools in Dubai will remain closed on Thursday (10 March, 2016), keeping in view the safety of students and staff. Schools are advised to use their discretion to assist any students appearing for external examinations."
Flights resume at Abu Dhabi Airport
Abu Dhabi International Airport resumed flight operations after a strong storm hit the capital.
Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for an update on their flight schedule prior to heading to the airport, Tweeted ADAC at around 2.00 pm.
The operations remained suspended for almost one hour from 1.00 pm to 2.00 pm.
At around 1.00 pm the Abu Dhabi International Airports Company announced the suspension of the flight operations until further notice. “Due to severe weather conditions, flights at Abu Dhabi International Airport are suspended until further notice, for the safety of our passengers and in line with civil aviation regulations,” an official for the Abu Dhabi Airports Company said, a short while ago.
Meanwhile Abu Dhabi Air Expo that has drawn exbitors and businessmen from around the world has been cancelled for the rest of today. An update on tomorrow's schedule will be issued later.
Departure flights at Dubai's two international airports have been slightly delayed due to bad weather conditions but operations are largely unaffected, the Dubai Airports operator said on Wednesday.
Dubai Airports, which runs Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC), said DWC had received two flights diverted from a neighbouring airport as heavy rain and strong winds lashed across the country.
Authorities of Abu Dhabi Airport had earlier suspended flights until further notice for safety reasons.
Several office buildings have been evacuated in the Capital, including the headquarters of GASCO and the ADNOC Energy Complex.
Dubai International Airport, for its part, told Khaleej Times that as of now there are no cancellations, but that a statement would be released shortly.
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has noted that there are so far no road closures in Dubai, but that water logging on Shaikh Zayed Road has caused a traffic to slow down between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Comments
Add new comment