Dubai airport submerged in water as United Arab Emirates hit with year’s worth of rain within hours

Dubai International Airport has been submerged in water after more than a year-and-a-half's rain[1] fell on the desert city-state in a matter of hours. Heavy thunderstorms[2] lashed the United Arab Emirates[3] on Tuesday, flooding out portions of major highways as well as the international airport. Photos and videos showed planes at Dubai International Airport taxiing across Tarmac that was totally submerged in water.

The airport - the world's busiest for international travel and a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates - ended up halting arrivals on Tuesday night. Meanwhile passengers[4] struggled to reach terminals through the floodwater covering surrounding roads. Footage showed major motorways submerged in water, with many vehicles underwater, with drivers and passengers forced to evacuate.

The extreme rain began late on Monday, soaking the sands and roads of Dubai with some 20mm (0.79 inches) of rain, according to meteorological data collected at the airport. The storms intensified around 9am local time (6am in the UK) on Tuesday and continued throughout the day, dumping more rain and hail onto the overwhelmed city. By the end of Tuesday, more than 142mm (5.59 inches) of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours.

An average year sees 94.7 millimeters (3.73 inches) of rain at Dubai International Airport. Dubai's driverless Metro also saw disruptions and flooded stations. Authorities sent tanker trucks out into the streets and highways to pump away the water.

Water poured into some homes, forcing people to bail out their houses.Schools across the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, largely shut ahead of the storm and government employees were largely working remotely if able. Many workers stayed home as well, though some ventured out, with the unfortunate stalling out their vehicles in deeper-than-expected water covering some roads. Story continues

Dubai's hereditary rulers offered no overall damage information or injury information for the nation, as some slept into their flooded vehicles on Tuesday night. In Ras al-Khaimah, the country's northernmost emirate, police said one 70-year-old man died when his vehicle was swept away by floodwater. In neighboring Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, at least 18 people had been killed in heavy rains in recent days, according to a statement Tuesday from the country's National Committee for Emergency Management.

Passengers queue at a flight connection desk at the Dubai International Airport (AFP via Getty Images)

That includes some 10 schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle with an adult, which saw condolences come into the country from rulers across the region. Fujairah, an emirate on the UAE's eastern coast, saw the heaviest rainfall Tuesday with 145 millimeters (5.7 inches) falling there. Authorities cancelled school and the government instituted remote work again for Wednesday.

Rain is unusual in the UAE, an arid, Arabian Peninsula nation, but occurs periodically during the cooler winter months.

Many roads and other areas lack drainage given the lack of regular rainfall, causing flooding.

References

1. ^ rain (www.standard.co.uk)
2. ^ thunderstorms (www.standard.co.uk)
3. ^ United Arab Emirates (www.standard.co.uk)
4. ^ passengers (www.standard.co.uk)