Dubai police on Thursday urged residents to stay indoors unless it was “absolutely necessary” as heavy rainfall was expected in the desert country which saw record downpours last spring.The warning came hours after rainfall in the Emirati city caused flooding in streets.“For your safety, please remain cautious as unstable weather conditions are expected in the coming hours, and avoid going out unless it is absolutely necessary until midday on Friday,” said a police alert sent to residents’ phones.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The National Center of Meteorology (NCM) in the United Arab Emirates warned of rainfall across the country from Thursday to Friday, including in Dubai and the capital Abu Dhabi.Other Gulf states also experienced heavy rain on Thursday, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar where the downpour caused an Arab Cup match to be canceled.Last year in April, record rains lashed the UAE, flooding homes and transforming streets