'Carnage' at Dubai airport as UAE hit by 'heaviest rainfall in 75 years'

The United Arab Emirates and other parts of the Gulf region have been experiencing heavy rainfall, leading to flooded roads and chaos at Dubai's airport.

Dubai experienced a rainfall of over 14cm (5.6 inches) on Tuesday, which equals the amount of rain that usually falls in a year-and-a-half at Dubai International Airport. The airport, known to be the busiest international airport in the world, was affected by the downpour.

According to the state-controlled news agency WAM, the intense rainfall was an unprecedented weather occurrence that exceeded all previous records dating back to 1949.

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In the UAE, many schools closed in preparation for the storm, and as a result, they remained closed on Wednesday. The government also instructed employees to work remotely from their homes.

On Tuesday night, the airport had to halt new arrivals because there was a lot of water on the taxiways due to heavy rain. This made it difficult for aircraft to land, and it was also tough for passengers to get to the terminals because the surrounding roads were flooded.

A pair of individuals, who requested anonymity due to the potential legal consequences of expressing negative views in their country, relayed to The Associated Press that the situation at the airport was incredibly chaotic and disastrous.

The gentleman remarked that it would not be feasible to obtain a taxi at this moment. He explained that numerous individuals were snoozing at the Metro station, as well as at the airport.

Dubai International Airport reported on X that the inundation had led to a reduced number of available modes of transportation, and that it will take a significant amount of time to fully recover from the damages.

Air travel was impacted due to the inaccessibility of aircraft personnel to the airport, while the autonomous train stops within the metropolis got inundated by the floodwaters, leading to interruptions.

Before the storm hit, most schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were closed. UAE is a group of seven sheikhdoms. Both school staff and government employees were mostly working from home instead.

Large trucks designed for carrying liquids were dispatched to the streets and highways to remove excess water from the flooded areas, while some individuals had to manually remove water from their flooded houses due to water levels increasing.

The nation's rulers who have inherited their positions did not provide any details regarding the extent of damage or injuries that occurred throughout the country. Some people had to sleep in their flooded vehicles on Tuesday night.

Police have reported that an elderly gentleman, aged 70, lost his life after his car was washed away by the floodwaters in Ras al-Khaimah, which happens to be the emirate located in the far north of the country.

The most intense downpour on Tuesday occurred in Fujairah, one of the emirates located on the eastern shores of the UAE, with a total rainfall of 14.5cm (5.7 inches).

Certain studies have associated the severe climate conditions with "cloud seeding." This technique involves the use of small airplanes operated by the government that release specific salt flares into the clouds, potentially augmenting the amount of precipitation.

According to some meteorologists at the National Centre for Meteorology, they conducted six or seven cloud seeding flights prior to the rainfall.

Data from flight-tracking technology indicated that an airplane that is associated with the UAE's attempts to modify weather patterns flew across the nation on the day of Sunday.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) largely depends on desalination plants that consume a lot of energy to produce water. As a result, the country conducts cloud seeding to some extent in order to boost its decreasing and restricted groundwater resources.

According to Chris England, the weather producer for Sky News, he has doubts regarding whether cloud seeding played a role in the heavy rainfall. He noted that the effectiveness of cloud seeding is questionable at best and there is little evidence to support it. Instead, he suggested that several reports have indicated that climate change could be responsible for the rise in rainfall in the region.

According to him, the UAE experiences quite frequent flash floods during the winter season. However, he also mentioned that the current floods in Dubai are unusual, especially in the developed areas.

According to him, yesterday (which was Tuesday) could possibly have been the rainiest day ever recorded in April. When you add to that the fact that the infrastructure might not be capable of dealing with heavy rainfall, it creates conditions that can lead to flooding.

On Monday, it was late when the rainfall started and it became stronger Tuesday morning. The rainfall persisted all day, causing the city to experience heavier rain and even hail.

It's not common to have rain in the UAE because it's a dry country on the Arabian Peninsula. However, rain does happen from time to time in the cooler months of winter.

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Numerous streets and various locations have insufficient drainage due to infrequent precipitation, which results in floods.

Precipitation occurred in Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia as well.

The National Committee for Emergency Management reported that heavy rain in Oman caused the deaths of 18 individuals, including 10 school-aged children and one adult who were carried away by a vehicle, over the last few days.