Schools and many offices were closed across the United Arab Emirates on Thursday as heavy rains returned to the desert country just two weeks after record downpours that experts linked to climate change.
According to the National Center of Meteorology, lightning storm with high winds swept across the oil-rich monarchy overnight, with more than 50 millimetres (two inches) of rain falling before 8:00 am in some areas.
Flooding was observed in certain areas of Dubai, the financial hub, prompting the cancellation of 13 flights and diversion of five flights at the city’s airport, renowned as the world’s busiest for international passenger traffic, according to a spokesperson.
Both state-owned, Dubai-based Emirates and its sister airline flydubai cautioned passengers about potential delays, while schools transitioned to remote learning and public-sector offices shuttered their doors.
However, the rainfall did not reach the intensity experienced on April 16, when a record-breaking 259.5 mm of rain resulted in four fatalities, blocked major roads for days, and led to over 2,000 flight cancellations.
On Thursday, traffic on Dubai’s typically bustling six-lane highways was sparse, with vehicles left abandoned on flooded roads near the extensive Ibn Battuta mall.
Trucks equipped for water pumping were stationed in multiple flooded areas, as Dubai’s drainage system often struggles to manage heavy rainfall effectively.
The downpour last month, which also claimed 21 lives in neighbouring Oman, marked the UAE’s heaviest rainfall since records began in 1949, in this predominantly expatriate federation of seven sheikhdoms.
World Weather Attribution, a network of scientists specializing in assessing the influence of climate change on extreme weather events, concluded that the deluge was “most likely” exacerbated by global warming resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels.
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