A rare heavy rainstorm floods UAE roads and forces flight cancellations, evoking memories of last year’s record-breaking deluge
DUBAI: A rare heavy rainstorm lashed the United Arab Emirates on Friday, flooding major roads and disrupting dozens of flights.
Dubai’s Emirates airline cancelled 13 flights, while neighbouring Sharjah airport also reported delays and cancellations.
The overnight downpour, accompanied by lightning and thunder, left Sharjah’s main street completely flooded early Friday.
Residents were seen wading barefoot through the water, with one man riding a bicycle through water reaching the top of its wheels.
The scenes evoked memories of April 2024, when record rains caused widespread flooding and cancelled over 2,000 flights in Dubai.
Dubai police had urged residents on Thursday to stay indoors unless travel was “absolutely necessary”.
Water-pumping trucks were deployed around Dubai early Friday to clear blocked roads and large puddles.
The Dubai Airports website showed dozens of delayed and some cancelled flights due to the adverse weather.
The National Center of Meteorology had warned of rainfall across the country from Thursday to Friday.
Other Gulf states, including Qatar, also experienced heavy rain, forcing the cancellation of an Arab Cup football match.
Last year’s downpours, the heaviest in 76 years, killed at least four people and brought Dubai to a standstill for days.
A scientific study found global warming “most likely” exacerbated the intense rains that hit the UAE and Oman last year. – AFP
