Emirates was forced to cancel and delay several flights in and out of Dubai, the second-busiest international airport in the world, due to heavy rains that hit the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. This storm comes just two weeks after record-setting rainfall triggered damaging floods in several parts of the country and neighboring Oman.
The recent heavy rains led to disruptions in daily life, with people and students instructed to work and study from home. The floods that occurred two weeks ago resulted in casualties, with at least four people losing their lives in the UAE and 19 others in Oman, including 10 children whose school bus was swept away in the deluge.
Video footage from Ras Al-Khaimah showed the impact of the storm, with strong winds bending palm trees and heavy rains lashing roads. While the rainfall was not as severe as the previous event, Dubai received 20 millimeters in 12 hours, more than double its usual combined rainfall for April and May. Abu Dhabi also experienced significant rainfall, with 34 mm in 24 hours, more than four times its typical amount for the same period.
Authorities and residents were better prepared this time around, with workmen seen opening drains ahead of the rainfall and emergency notifications sent out to warn people to stay home where possible. Remote working and studying were ordered in affected areas, and roads to flood-prone valley areas were closed off.
Scientists have linked the recent extreme rainfall events in the UAE and Oman to climate change. A team of researchers found that climate change has made such events between 10 and 40% more intense than they would have been without global warming. The UAE experienced its heaviest rainfall in 75 years during the previous event, with Dubai receiving more than a year and a half's worth of rain in less than 24 hours.
