Weather is again becoming unstable fromThursday across the emirates and forecasters expect choppy sea and rain in the northern areas. There will be chances of rain on Thursday night and Friday morning, according to the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS). An alert has been issued for sea travellers as strong Shamal (north-westerly) winds are likely to generate some eight to 11 feet high waves in the Arabian Gulf waters offshore. Strong winds are expected to hit the region on Thursday evening. The conditions would be hazy and partly cloudy in general but the amount of clouds will increase by evening, especially over the UAE Islands in the Arabian Gulf and the northern areas, said the NCMS forecast. The surface winds across the country will also be moderately rough at first, becoming choppy at times. They will kick up dust and sand that will reduce the horizontal visibility especially in the western part of the emirates. Similar conditions are expected to continue on Friday.