Why is there so much rain in Dubai?
Following a strong thunderstorm that struck the nation late on Monday, april 15, damaging houses and businesses and halting air traffic in dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) saw its greatest rainfall ever. The rain was "a historic weather event," surpassing "anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949," according to the state-run news agency WAM. This was prior to the UAE's establishment in 1971. In the UAE, a desert nation on the Arabian Peninsula, heavy rainfall are uncommon. They do, however, sporadically appear in the area during the colder winter months.
What took place in Dubai?
Monday night saw the start of the thunderstorms, and by tuesday night, the desert metropolis of dubai had received more than 142 millimeters (mm) of rain. This much rain falls in the city once every 1.5 years on average. The second busiest airport in the world, dubai International airport, with over 80 million visits in 2023, and receives 94.7 millimeters of rain on average annually. air transport was disrupted by the heavy rains, resulting in either delayed or diverted aircraft. Authorities at the airport report that operations were halted for twenty-five minutes on tuesday afternoon. Even though the intense rains stopped by late tuesday, there were still disturbances until Wednesday.
One pair spoke to the Associated press under the condition of anonymity and described the scene at the airport as "absolute carnage." "You are unable to hail a cab. In the Metro station, there are people who are sleeping. The man stated on Wednesday, "There are people sleeping in the airport." Homes were submerged and abandoned cars were left on the roads throughout Dubai. There was also a deluge of people visiting well-known malls including Mall of the Emirates and dubai Mall. To pump away the water, tanker trucks were dispatched onto the roadways and streets.
Nearly 130 kilometers (km) from dubai, in the city of Al Ain, there was a record 254 mm of rainfall. The eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates' Fujairah received 145 mm of rain on Tuesday. In the UAE, schools were closed on Tuesday. The administration of dubai has allowed its workers to continue working from home until Wednesday. Eighteen people died as a result of the heavy rain that also hit Oman, the neighbor of the United Arab Emirates. Among them were "about ten school children [who were] swept away in a vehicle with an adult," according to the AP.
