Abnormally high rainfall hit Oman and the United Arab Emirates on Monday, with heavy downpours and thunderstorms rolling in from the north-east. The two countries are among the driest in the world, with large parts of both typically receiving less than 100mm of rainfall each year. However, on Monday 50-100mm of rainfall was widely reported across eastern UAE and northern Oman, with a highest total of 140mm in Dibba, a city in the far north of Oman that lies on its border with the UAE. Some thunderstorms were accompanied by hail, with a particularly heavy shower in Abu Dhabi leaving the streets blanketed in hailstones, some of which were almost the size of golf balls.
Flooding was widespread, with flash flooding proving particularly dangerous in Oman’s mountainous regions. More than 100 people had to be rescued, many from stranded vehicles, while four fatalities were confirmed. Three stages of the Tour of Oman cycling race were curtailed due to landslides on some climbs. The UAE was less badly affected, but some schools were closed, while an official visit to Dubai by Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, was scaled down.
In the state of Western Australia yet more temperature records were broken this week, as Perth exceeded its record for the most consecutive February days above 40C (104F). Temperatures peaked at 41.7C on Thursday, taking the total to five days. The previous four-day record had been reached twice, in 1985 and 2016.
This new record is likely to be broken again by the end of the month, with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology forecasting severe to extreme heatwave conditions across much of Western Australia this weekend and into next week. Temperatures are widely expected to reach the mid-40s, peaking at an oppressive 50C in the hottest spots. In Perth, temperatures could reach 45C on Sunday, almost 15C above average for this time of year.
In contrast, a winter storm swept across the north-east US on Tuesday, with more than a foot of snow falling in many areas. New York City recorded 3.2in in Central Park, making it the city’s snowiest day in two years. Thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed, while 150,000 people in Pennsylvania had a power outage. However, some areas farther north that had also been expecting heavy snow actually saw very little, as the track of the storm veered farther south than predicted.
