In the wake of heavy rains that returned to the desert country just two weeks after record downpours, schools and many offices were closed across the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. The National Center of Meteorology reported more than 50 millimetres (two inches) of rain falling in some areas before 8 a.m. due to a lightning storm with high winds that swept across the oil-rich monarchy overnight.
Flooding was observed in parts of Dubai, including the city’s financial hub. Dubai’s airport, the world’s busiest in terms of international passenger traffic, canceled 13 flights and diverted five due to the weather conditions. Both state-owned Emirates and sister airline flydubai warned passengers of potential delays, while schools switched to remote learning and public-sector offices closed.
Although the rainfall was not as severe as the April 16 downpour that left four people dead and caused significant disruption, the recent rains still impacted traffic and led to abandoned cars on flooded roads near the sprawling Ibn Battuta mall. Trucks pumping water were deployed in several flooded areas, as Dubai’s drainage system often struggles to handle heavy rainfall.
Last month’s downpour, which also claimed the lives of 21 people in neighboring Oman, was the heaviest in the UAE since records began in 1949. World Weather Attribution, a network of scientists that analyzes the role of climate change in extreme weather events, determined that the deluge was likely exacerbated by global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
