Dubai rain floods Airport, roads; schools shut

Torrential rain across the United Arab Emirates caused widespread flooding around the country, including the global city Dubai where the traffic was brought to a halt and schools had to be shut.

In a course of just 12-hours on Tuesday, the metropolitan city witnessed nearly 4 inches (100 mm) of rain, according to weather observations at the airport – around what Dubai usually records in an entire year, according to United Nations data, the CNN reported.

The rain that caused the havoc is associated with a larger storm system traversing the Arabian Peninsula and moving across the Gulf of Oman. 

This same system is also bringing unusually wet weather to nearby Oman and southeastern Iran, it said. The rain forced one of the world’s busiest Dubai International Airport to suspend operations for 25 minutes leading to diversion of scores of flights while dozens of them were delayed or cancelled on Tuesday. 

The flights that were affected include India, Pakistan, Saudi and the United Kingdom.
The flash floods caused waterlogging various roads including metro stations that were submerged under water and commuters had to navigate through ankle-deep water.

The ground floor of the station was entirely inundated with water that was seeping into the sides of the escalators. The pictures that have emerged show an unusual side of Dubai where cars were submerged on roads.

Rain is expected to taper off in the region but a few showers may linger on Wednesday before the country’s usual dry weather returns.