Heavy rain hit the United Arab Emirates, flooding major highways and disrupting operation of Dubai International Airport. This is the heaviest rainfall since 1949, writes the Guardian.
The rains began on the evening of April 15, and by the evening of April 16, more than 142 mm of rain fell in the desert city — The average rainfall here is for one and a half years. Some inland areas of the UAE received more than 80 mm of rain per day, which is almost the annual average of 100 mm.
Dubai International Airport averages 94.7 mm of rainfall per year, but this time it experienced “significant disruptions,” the newspaper notes. In particular, on April 16, the airport redirected some flights arriving that day.
Houses are flooded across the city and cars sit abandoned on roadways as authorities send tanker trucks to the streets to pump out water. Many roads and other areas lack drainage due to lack of regular rainfall.
The large Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates shopping centers are flooded, and at least one Dubai metro station had “ankle-deep” water. , writes the Guardian. Lightning flashes in the sky from time to time touching the top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.
In addition, schools have been closed throughout the UAE, and the government has sent its employees to work remotely.
At least one death reported in Dubai — A 70-year-old man who was swept away in his own car.
Earlier weather conditions caused flooding in Bahrain, and in Oman, on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, 18 people were killed, including 10 schoolchildren who, together with an adult, were washed away in a car.
Prepared by: Nina Petrovich