In the United Arab Emirates, the strongest downpour ever recorded in the country took place, leading to the flooding of the Dubai International Airport.
State news agency WAM called the rain a “historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since data collection began in 1949.”
According to the UAE National Meteorological Center, the rains started late on Monday night, intensified on Tuesday morning and continued throughout the day. By the end of Tuesday, more than 142 mm of rain had fallen in Dubai. On Tuesday, a record amount of precipitation fell in the city of Al Ain – 254 mm in less than 24 hours.
Dubai International Airport said on Wednesday morning that flooding had affected flights as flight crews were unable to reach the airfield. It was warned that delays of several hours on arrival and departure of some flights are expected.
At the airport, water spilled on the taxiways during the landing of planes. On Tuesday evening, the airport stopped accepting flights, and passengers tried to reach the terminals by water. Passengers departing from Dubai were advised not to go to the airport and check the status of their flight with the airline. Emirates Airline said that passengers already on the road would continue to be served, but warned that departure and arrival delays should be expected.
Reuters reports that debris caused by the downpour was being cleared in the country on Wednesday. In addition, one elderly man died when his car was caught in a flood in the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah.
Houses and businesses were also damaged, some roads were destroyed. Sheikh Zayed Road, a 12-lane highway through Dubai, was partially flooded, leaving people stuck in kilometers of traffic for several hours.
