Heavy rains break records in the United Arab Emirates and flood Dubai airport

 

Heavy rains break records in the United Arab Emirates and flood Dubai airport:

The United Arab Emirates is trying to recover this Wednesday from the heaviest rains ever recorded in the country, where the deluge flooded Dubai airport, the busiest in the world for international flights, and affected travel.

State news agency WAM called Tuesday's rain “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949.”

It also rained in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. However, the rains were heavy across the UAE. One reason may have been so-called  cloud seeding , in which small planes piloted by the government pierce clouds by burning special salt flares. These flares can increase precipitation .

Meteorologists from the National Meteorological Center carried out six or seven flights to seed clouds before the rains, according to preliminary information. Additionally, flight tracking data analyzed by the AP agency showed that a plane affiliated with the United Arab Emirates' cloud seeding efforts flew around the country on Sunday .

The United Arab Emirates, which relies heavily on energy-intensive desalination plants to provide water, carries out cloud seeding in part to boost its dwindling and limited groundwater .

The rains began Monday night , drenching Dubai's sand and roads with about 20 millimeters of rain, according to weather data collected at Dubai International Airport. The storms intensified around 9:00 a.m. (local time) on Tuesday and continued throughout the day , dumping more rain and hail on the overwhelmed city.

By the end of Tuesday, more than 142 millimeters of rainfall had drenched Dubai in 24 hours. An average year, 94.7 millimeters are recorded at Dubai International Airport, a strategic hub for the long-haul airline Emirates.

Rains wreak havoc on air transport

At the airport , arrivals ground to a halt Tuesday night and passengers struggled to reach the terminals through water covering surrounding roads.

Dubai International Airport acknowledged on Wednesday morning that the flooding had left “ limited transportation options ” and had affected flights, as aircraft crews were unable to reach the airfield.

Emirates airline said it had suspended check-in for passengers departing Dubai from 8 a.m. to midnight Wednesday, while it attempted to clear the airport of transit passengers, many of whom had been sleeping where they could in their terminals.

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused ," the airline said in X. "Emirates is working hard to restore our scheduled operations." Passengers on FlyDubai, Emirates' low-cost sister airline, also suffered disruptions .

Paul Griffiths, the airport's chief executive, acknowledged the continuing problems with flooding on Wednesday morning and said every place where a plane could safely park had been used. Some planes had been diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, the city's second airfield.

“It remains an incredibly challenging time. As far as I can remember, I don't think anyone has seen conditions like this,” Griffiths told state radio station Dubai Eye. "We are in uncharted territory , but I can assure everyone that we are working as hard as we can to make sure our customers and our staff are taken care of."

School closures and remote work

Schools in the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhs, largely closed ahead of the storm and many government employees worked remotely . Many other workers also stayed home, although some ventured out, and many of them were forced to stop their vehicles in deeper than expected water, which covered some roads.

The authorities sent tanker trucks to the streets and highways to pump out the water, which also entered some homes. The authorities canceled classes and the Government implemented remote work again for this Wednesday .

Rain is unusual in the United Arab Emirates, an arid country on the Arabian Peninsula, but occurs periodically during the colder winter months. Many roads and other areas lack drainage due to lack of regular rainfall, causing flooding .

At least 19 dead in Oman, including school children

Meanwhile, in neighboring Oman , a sultanate located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, at least 19 people died due to heavy rains in recent days, according to a statement released this Wednesday by the National Committee for the Emergency Management of the country. 

That includes about 10 children from a school who were swept away in a vehicle with an adult. Governors from across the region conveyed their condolences.