Within days since the United Arab Emirates witnessed severe flooding in April after receiving over a year's worth rainfall in 24 hours, heavy rain and thunderstorms once again hit Abu Dhabi and Dubai early on Thursday. The inconvenient weather conditions in the land of desserts has led multiple flight cancellations.
Weather alert issued for rains
According to the local media reports, Dubai woke up to strong winds, thunder, and lightning at around 3 am on Thursday and a hour later, an amber alert was issued by the weather department indicating the presence of rain-bearing clouds in the sky covering most parts of the country.
Reports by local news agencies suggested that adverse weather conditions were expected to prevail until May 3.
Flights cancelled, diverted; Waterlogging, high winds in Abu Dhabi
As per reports, owing to the inclement weather conditions, five inbound flights to Dubai were diverted overnight, while nine arrivals and four outbound flights were cancelled.
In light of the current weather situation, Dubai Airports and two local airlines issued advisories for passengers on Wednesday and warned of delays when going to Dubai International Airport.
Besides cancellations and diversions of flights, waterlogging was reported on the streets in some parts of Abu Dhabi. Several parts of Abu Dhhabi and Dubai also experienced strong winds including Jebel Ali, Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Investments Park, and Jumeirah Village Triangle.
Roads connecting Abu Dhab-Dubai partially submerged
Owing to excessive flooding for days, the roads connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi were still partially underwater as of Saturday. Besides, supply shortage was reported in some supermarkets and restaurants due to connectivity issues.
Causees behind the unusual rainfall
According to climate experts, these extreme weather events are possibly linked to various attributes of climate change. It is also anticipated that global warming will lead to higher temperatures, increased humidity and a greater risk of flooding in parts of the Gulf region.
Besides, a lack of drainage infrastructure in countries like UAE also puts the at a higher risk of flooding during heavy rains.
