In Dubai, the amount of precipitation that usually falls in two years fell in one day. The city is flooded with water, landslides and road collapses. Writes UNN with reference to The Washington Post.
Much of the city was under water due to extreme rainfall, which reached several inches in a short time, leaving few places for water to drain on flat, paved areas. The situation was exacerbated by frequent lightning, and each new storm brought more water to already flooded areas.
According to local media reports, more than 8 inches (20.32 cm) of rain fell in some areas, leading to landslides and road collapses. Bus and subway services are delayed due to the weather. In this regard, remote work and distance learning have been extended until Wednesday.
It is also reported that tankers have been deployed on streets and highways to help pump out standing water.
Some parts of the wider region received up to a foot of rainfall (30.48cm), severely impacting daily life. At Dubai International Airport, airplanes looked like huge hovercraft as their jet engines burst from the flooded runway, breaking up the water and leaving behind voluminous misty spray.
Late Tuesday night, airport officials announced a temporary suspension of operations due to problems caused by flooding.
Although it's the rainy season in Dubai, this year's humidity has been higher than usual, and studies and trends show that extreme rainfall events are becoming more likely globally.
The world is experiencing historically high levels of precipitation, alternating with deep droughts. The National Center for Meteorology has issued an orange warning about the risk of additional precipitation, which will remain in effect until 18:00. There is a chance of rain the next day, especially off the coast of Oman and in parts of Iran and Pakistan, but the upcoming dry conditions will help cleanup efforts.
Recall
Heavy rains caused localized flooding, disrupting the operation of Dubai Airport, the busiest airport for international flights. Due to the bad weather, schools were temporarily closed in Dubai, and workers were transferred to remote mode. An orange alert was declared throughout the UAE.