Dubai Downpour Chaos: Airport Flooding, Indian Flights Delayed, Schools Closed, Cars Submerged | Latest News

The desert country of Dubai and the UAE experience heavy rainfall and consequently roadways and walkways flood. The breaking of the pattern in Dubai during April 16 diverted some of the incoming flights to the city's major international airport. The main international shuttle Dubai airport was allowed to work for only 25 minutes putting schools on hold and the traffic situation to the zero.


Several flights to the destinations mentioned above such as India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UK were delayed or cancelled , as is evident at Dubai airport's website. This excessive rainfall which inundated most regions was the main cause of flooding to which cloud seeding was one of the contributors.


The Dubai International Airport experienced a halt in arrivals at 7:The complete transition process will take four hours; on 20th June, 2020, the transition process will start 26 PM local time and, subsequently, will be followed by a slow resumption of more than two hours. However, the airport managers were greatly disappointed even though it was expected that the airport would receive some 100 flights that evening as the weather was not unstable. Besides arrivals flight were also on schedule with delays and cancellations, and access roads to the airport were overwhelmed with flood.


Likewise, Flydubai had to suspend all departing flights from Dubai on Tuesday until Wednesday morning as the low visibility prevented air traffic authorities from setting up instrument landing systems. Localized displays of the same situation can be found in Dubai and the rest of the UAE , which is usually very hot and dry, as the region strived bravely to restore order in the wake of the storm.


Touristic malls like Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates faced water flooding inside them. There was a water level till up to the ankle in the Dubai Metro stations as well, according to the posts on social media. Videos were posted online with cars being carried by floods, a shopping center's ceiling collapsing from the water weight, and a metro system in one of Dubai's popular malls stopped running.


The torrential rain not only affected Dubai but also caused floods in other parts of the UAE and Bahrain, with Oman reporting 18 casualties on Sunday and Monday. With both Oman and the UAE emphasizing the impact of global warming on weather patterns , the recent downpour serves as a stark reminder of the challenges posed by climate change.


The adverse weather conditions even resulted in the postponement of the Asian Champions League football semi-final between the UAE's Al Ain and Saudi team Al Hilal for 24 hours. The unforeseen rainfall has brought attention to the vulnerability of the region to extreme weather events.