The floods hitting Dubai and other Gulf countries in the last hours are unprecedented, with international media broadcast unimaginable images of the prevailing chaos.
Yesterday, within a 24-hour period, the amount of rainfall in Dubai was equal to the volume of two years worth of rain.
Flooding Tunnels?
Dubai airport looks like an ocean after massive rain and flooding. pic.twitter.com/Fx1udKdTIM
— AMERICANDREAM09 🇺🇸 Jack Media ~DREAM (@JackMedia7) April 17, 2024
NEW: Dubai travel authorities advise travelers to avoid the airport following heavy rain, which reportedly exceeded a year and a half’s worth of rainfall in just a few hours in the United Arab Emirates
A statement by Dubai airport operators:
‘We advise you NOT to come to the… pic.twitter.com/uyTwuI1DYb— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) April 17, 2024
Roads, shopping centers, and the international airport were flooded, and water even reached the metro, resulting in the cancellation of many flights.
Roads, malls, hotels, airport are flooded in Dubai. Some people claim this excess rains is due to errors arising from weather modification in Dubai!! pic.twitter.com/UTiK7jIPYq
— 𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒖𝒔 𝑲𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 🇰🇪 (@Konesjk) April 16, 2024
Dubai Rains: Severe Flooding Hits Dubai After Heavy Rainfall Across UAE, Videos Show Submerged Cars, Flooded Airport and Waterlogging Inside Mallshttps://t.co/EP2UQMCcwC@ChrisBarrett @Maydhalaalis#UAE #Dubai #Rainfall #Flood
— LatestLY (@latestly) April 16, 2024
Until yesterday (20:00 Greece time), the United Arab Emirates recorded the highest amount of rainfall in a 24-hour period since 1949 when relatively accurate records began, according to the National Meteorological Center. The center announced that 254 millimeters of rain were recorded in less than a day, within four hours in Al Ain, a region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi bordering Oman.
🇦🇪 Dubai airport today. Due to heavy rains in Dubai the city has turned into one big lake 🙈 pic.twitter.com/UIRYxYgf6H
— Roberto (@UniqueMongolia) April 17, 2024
🚨🇦🇪 DUBAI FLOOD TURNED A HIGHWAY INTO A RAGING RIVER – CARS SMASHED AND DESTROYED#Dubai #Dubaifloods #DubaiFlooding #DubaiAirportpic.twitter.com/vAqb9il461
— Drunk Sharma (@Rohit_SVK) April 17, 2024
As reported by The Guardian, Dubai International Airport announced today that it is facing serious problems due to the bad weather conditions. Emirates Airlines also stated that it is suspending check-ins for passengers departing from the airport from 8 a.m. today (local time, 7:00 Greece time) until midnight due to operational issues caused by heavy rainfall and roads turned into rivers.
The airport management in Dubai announced that flights are being delayed or diverted to other airports, while crews are unable to approach the airport due to the severe weather.
Large shopping centers such as Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates were flooded.
As reported by the French newspaper “Le Figaro,” severe storms hit not only Dubai but also Bahrain, Oman, and many areas of Qatar.
In these countries with arid climates, the rainfall has caused extreme floods, which in turn have disrupted transportation.
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Dubai’s historic flood in just 30 seconds. pic.twitter.com/gvfqzkurW2
— Prayag (@theprayagtiwari) April 17, 2024
Yesterday, at Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, there were disruptions to many flights, a rare phenomenon in the desert country and the economic capital of the Emirates.
Yesterday evening, more than 100 flights were scheduled, which were ultimately canceled.
“Due to adverse weather conditions, Dubai International Airport temporarily diverted flights expected today until the situation improves,” an airport spokesperson said earlier. Departing flights continue, they said.
Many passengers spent the night yesterday at Dubai airport as they were unable to leave.
“For thirteen years we have lived in Dubai, we have never seen such intense rainfall,” says Marie, a French expatriate in the Gulf country, who was forced to build an improvised barrier to prevent her house from flooding, as reported by Le Figaro newspaper.
Schools remain closed today, and the government has announced the implementation of telecommuting for public safety reasons.
The situation in Oman
At least 19 people have lost their lives since Sunday night, when heavy rainfall began to hit the country.
Among the dead are nine students, as reported by the ONA news agency, writes the French newspaper Le Figaro.
But parts of Qatar, another Gulf country, were also affected by torrential rains.
In Bahrain too, daily life turned into chaos yesterday as heavy rains caused serious problems on the roads, railways, and air networks.
According to Frederic Otto, a lecturer in climate sciences at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London, global warming may have played a role in the intense rainfall.
“It is very likely that the deadly and catastrophic rains in Oman and Dubai have been intensified by human-induced climate change,” the professor points out.
The governments of the Emirates and Oman have already warned that climate change may cause more flooding in the wider region.
