Beautiful morning gives way to thunderstorms in Bahrain
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Reported by Zahra Ayaz
A beautiful morning in Bahrain yesterday turned cloudier as the day progressed, bringing heavy rains and thunderstorms in areas from the central to the southern side of the Kingdom by early afternoon, while light rains with thunder and lightning occurred in others.
The rains reached the central part of the kingdom by 1.30pm and moved to the southern side, keeping slightly to the west, drenching the areas in between by 3pm. At 8 pm on Wednesday, the Meteorological Directorate issued a warning that thunderstorms and rains were expected in the central and southern regions yesterday.
At 6.30am yesterday, the directorate said thundery rain with very strong gusts can be expected in the Kingdom between 10am and 6pm. A 6.45am update from the directorate said the Kingdom will be affected by a depression and rains may occur, which may be thunderstorms accompanied by very rapid gusts.
By 11am, the directorate issued another update stating that cumulous clouds had appeared over the eastern region of Saudi Arabia and were expected to move towards Bahrain. Having lived through months of hot and humid conditions and now enjoying a cooler climate as winter approaches, many Bahrainis went online with posts welcoming the rain and wishing for it to continue.
However, comments about wishful thinking were soon overtaken by posts about the traffic congestion that lasted for hours as roads in many areas were flooded by the sudden rains.
Warnings
Authorities issued warnings and advised the public to exercise caution even as residents awaited the arrival of tankers and pumps to unclog the waterlogged areas. The heavy rains had submerged some streets fully or partially in Muharraq, Hidd, Tubli, and Saar.
By then, the General Directorate of Traffic urgently advised drivers to exercise extreme caution during the rainfall. It asked drivers to keep to their designated lanes, adhere to the speed limits, and maintain a safe distance from other vehicles.
These precautions would prevent accidents and ensure the safety of all road users, the directorate counselled. Among other directions, the General Directorate of Civil Defence asked the residents to avoid the use of electrical equipment and tools that may have come into contact with water to minimise the risk of accidents and electrical hazards during rainy weather.
According to the Meteorological Directorate’s forecast, the Kingdom can expect cool and cloudy weather in the coming days. Yesterday, temperatures reached a maximum of 32°C and a minimum of 25°C.
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