Dubai Reels Under Flood as Over a Year's Rain Hammers UAE Within Hours

Within Hours Viral videos and other images have emerged depicting the deluge of water that is threatening to submerge Dubai, one of the globe's tourism headquarters, following a few hours of rainfall.

Reports by Al Jazeera say the severe wave of thunderstorm dumped heavy rainfall that got the city soaked by over 142mm (5.59 inches) of rain by Tuesday morning after just 24 hours. It added that motorists had a hard driving through the highways in Dubai following Tuesday's downpour.

The flooding, the reports noted, also hit other cities including Sharjah, Fujairah and Al Ain.

In particular, major roads in Dubai and the International Airport were flooded while available data indicate that the rains began late Monday and went on to soak the desert sands before overwhelming Dubai roads with about 20mm (0.79 inches) of rain.

The storms later intensified Tuesday, continued through the day and ended up dumping more rain and hail storms that overwhelmed Dubai city.

By late Tuesday, Dubai City was contending with more than 142mm (5.59 inches), far more than the usual annual average of 94.7mm (3.73 inches) of rain.

Following the development, certain flight activities at the Dubai International Airport have been put on hold, with the airport acknowledging Wednesday morning that the flooding had left “limited transportation options” and affected flights as aircraft crews could not reach the airfield.

Following the development, Emirates announced it was applying the brakes on passenger check-ins from Dubai International, beginning from 8am until midnight Wednesday as a result of operational hiccups emanating from the challenging incessant rain.

“Recovery will take some time,” Emirates announced on its X platform.

“We thank you for your patience and understanding while we work through these challenges.” it added.

The Dubai International Airport and operating airlines are not the only ones affected by the usual water deluge. Police and emergency personnel are having a hard time driving through flooded streets of Dubai as lightning is seen flashing across the sky, occasionally touching the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

In particular, Dubai's metro network is also experiencing disruptions as a result of flooding. In addition, schools across the UAE are largely under lock and key with most government employees working remotely.

Although many other workers stayed at home, some ventured out with most of them getting stranded in deeper-than-expected water after the water stalled their vehicles’ engines.

Meanwhile, Dubai authorities deployed tanker trucks into the streets and highways in a bid to pump away the water. However, a number of homes were so inundated, compelling residents to resort to bailing the water themselves.