Dubai received a year’s worth of rain in a day on Tuesday, which led to intense flash flooding across the city that submerged the runway at the Dubai International Airport, making it look like an ocean, while roads turned to rivers and homes were inundated.
The airport halted flight operations for nearly half an hour.
The airport received nearly 100 mm of rain in just 12 hours on Tuesday and a total of 160 mm in the 24 hours. On average, Dubai city records about 88.9 mm of rain in a year.
Dubai mall flooding, pic.twitter.com/C9qwpLfDI5
— LIONE$$ (@The_Lioness13) April 16, 2024
In an advisory on Wednesday morning, the Dubai International Airport asked travellers to “check your flight status… and allow significant extra travel time to the airport”.
Videos on social media showed the runway completely submerged. Large passenger jets looked more like boats as they moved along the flooded runway which resembled an ocean.
These visuals are from Dubai Mall.
— Baba Banaras™ (@RealBababanaras) April 17, 2024
No development can fight with nature. Nature is almighty pic.twitter.com/qhg15P0kco
Meanwhile, other countries in the region also witnessed heavy rain and subsequent flooding.
In neighbouring Oman, at least 18 people have died as a result of flash floods triggered by intense rainfall.
The victims included 10 students who were killed on April 14 when the vehicle they were travelling in was swept away by the strong currents while trying to cross a flooded area, the BBC reported.
Meanwhile, in Bahrain, videos on social media showed vehicles stranded on flooded roads.