Dubai storm dumps heaviest rain ever recorded in desert nation of UAE, flooding roads and airport

Severe thunderstorms lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, dumping the heaviest rain on record in the country in a matter of hours, flooding parts of major highways and Dubai International Airport.

The official WAM news agency called the rain a “historic meteorological event” that surpassed “anything documented since data collection began in 1949.”

This was before the discovery of crude oil in the energy-rich country which was then part of a British protectorate known as the Trucial States.

Rains began late Monday, soaking Dubai’s sand and roads with about 0.79 inches of rain, according to weather data collected at Dubai International Airport.

The storms intensified around 9 a.m. local Tuesday and continued throughout the day, dumping more rain and hail on the overwhelmed city.

By the end of Tuesday, more than 14 centimeters of rain had flooded Dubai in 24 hours.

In an average year, 3.73 inches of rain falls at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest international airport and a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates.

At the airport, standing water lapped on the taxiways as planes landed.

The airport eventually halted arrivals Tuesday evening and passengers struggled to reach the terminals because of floodwaters covering surrounding roads.

One couple, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to speak freely in a country with strict laws that criminalize critical speech, called the situation at the airport “absolute carnage.”

“You can’t take a taxi. There are people sleeping in the metro station. There are people sleeping at the airport,” the man said Wednesday.

They ended up taking a taxi near their home, about 30 km away, but floodwaters on the road stopped them.

A passerby helped them through a highway barrier with their hand luggage, the bottles of gin they had picked up from duty-free shops clinking in the distance.

Dubai International Airport admitted on Wednesday morning that flooding had left “limited transport options” and affected flights, with plane crews unable to reach the airfield.

“Recovery will take some time,” the airport said on social platform X. “We thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate these challenges.”

Police and emergency personnel drove slowly through flooded streets of Dubai. Lightning streaked across the sky Tuesday, sometimes hitting the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

The city’s driverless subway also saw disruptions and flooded stations.

Schools in the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, were largely closed before the storm and government employees worked largely remotely when they could.

Many workers also stayed home, although some ventured outside, with the unfortunates stranding their vehicles in deeper-than-expected water covering some roads.

Authorities sent tanker trucks onto streets and highways to pump out water. Water poured into some homes, forcing people to bail out their homes.

The country’s hereditary rulers provided no overall information on damage or injuries to the nation, with some sleeping in their flooded vehicles Tuesday evening.

In Ras al-Khaimah, the country’s northernmost emirate, police said a 70-year-old man died when his vehicle was swept away by floodwaters.

Fujairah, an emirate on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, saw the heaviest rainfall on Tuesday, with 140 centimeters of rain.

Authorities canceled school and the government reinstated remote work on Wednesday.

Rain is unusual in the United Arab Emirates, an arid country on the Arabian Peninsula, but it occurs periodically during the cooler winter months.

Many roads and other areas lack drainage due to lack of regular rainfall, causing flooding.

Rain also fell in Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

In neighboring Oman, a sultanate on the eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, at least 18 people have been killed during heavy rains in recent days, according to a statement released Tuesday by the country’s National Emergency Management Committee.

This includes a dozen schoolchildren taken away in a vehicle with an adult, who received condolences from area leaders.