The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been hit with severe rainfall, leading to flooding on major highways and interruptions in flights at Dubai International Airport. The government has stated that this is the heaviest rainfall the region has seen in the last 75 years.
The heavy rain began on Monday night and lasted until Tuesday evening, resulting in more than 142mm (5.59 inches) of rainfall in Dubai. This is an unusually high amount of rain for the city, which typically sees this level of precipitation over a period of 18 months.
Dubai International Airport, recognized as the world’s busiest airport for international travel and a central hub for Emirates Airlines, typically experiences around 94.7mm (3.73 inches) of rain per year. However, this recent rainfall has exceeded the annual average within a short span of time, causing disruptions to airport operations.
Inland areas of the UAE also faced heavy rainfall, recording over 80mm (3.2 inches) within a 24-hour period up until 8 am on Tuesday. This amount is close to the annual average rainfall of around 100mm for these regions.
The UAE, located on the dry Arabian Peninsula, usually experiences only occasional rain during the cooler winter months. The rare occurrence of such heavy rainfall has posed challenges to the country’s infrastructure and travel operations. Residents and visitors in the affected areas have been dealing with the impact of the floods and travel disruptions.
