Chaos erupted in the United Arab Emirates after the country experienced its heaviest rainfall in 75 years. Some areas recorded more than 250mm (about 10 inches) of rain in less than 24 hours, the state’s media office said in a statement on Wednesday. The heavy rains left Dubai flooded as water took over every corner.
Rainfall flooded streets, uprooted palm trees and crumbling building facades. This type of rainfalls has never been recorded in the Middle Eastern country since they started keeping such records in 1949.
A the popular tourist destination, flights were canceled, traffic stopped and schools closed.
One hundred millimeters (almost four inches) of rain fell in just 12 hours on Tuesday, according to weather observations at the airport. That was about the total amount of rain Dubai typically records in an entire year, according to United Nations data.
The rain fell so hard and fast that some motorists were forced to abandon their cars as floodwaters rose and roads turned into rivers.
Extreme rain events like these are becoming more frequent as the atmosphere warms due to human-caused climate change.
A warmer atmosphere can absorb more moisture like a towel, and then release it as heavy rain.
Weather conditions are associated with a larger storm system crossing the Arabian Peninsula and moving across the Gulf of Oman.
This same system also brought unusually wet weather to neighboring Oman and southeastern Iran.
In Oman, at least 18 people died in flash floods caused by heavy rains, the country’s National Emergency Management Committee said.
Among the victims were students, according to Oman’s official news agency.