Due to heavy rainfall causing major flooding, flights arriving into Dubai airport – known as the world’s busiest for international travel – were temporarily diverted to other locations on Tuesday evening.
On Tuesday, a whopping 120mm (4.7 inches) of rain poured down, matching the usual yearly average in this desert nation.
There was extensive flooding in residential areas, with homes and roads completely submerged. Many cars were abandoned due to the rising waters.
The tarmac at Dubai International Airport was heavily flooded, giving it the appearance of a lake as planes navigated through the water.
Earlier, there was an announcement about the temporary suspension of airport operations for 25 minutes due to unfavorable weather conditions. Throughout the day, a total of 21 outbound and 24 inbound flights were cancelled, while three flights were redirected to different airports.
In its latest announcement, the airport assured passengers that departure flights were still operating, despite the disruption.
In light of the current weather conditions, the airport has announced that inbound flights will be redirected until the situation improves.
According to a spokesperson from the airport, the flights will be directed to the closest “available airports.”.
“The airport is making every effort to address the situation and work closely with response teams and service partners to ensure that normal operations are restored as soon as possible, with the aim of minimizing any inconvenience to our valued customers,” said the spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Flydubai has temporarily suspended all of its flights departing from Dubai until 10am local time (7am UK time) on Wednesday due to the bad weather, as reported by the UAE state news agency WAM.
Passengers are advised to contact their airline for the most up-to-date information regarding their flight status.
In addition, there was significant rainfall in various regions of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is made up of seven emirates, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah.
According to Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson, there have been intense showers and thunderstorms in the eastern parts of the Arabian Peninsula and southern Iran today. There is a possibility of more flooding on Wednesday.
The risk will also affect the southwestern parts of Pakistan.
“Flash flooding events in the Gulf region are not uncommon and typically occur between December and March.”
According to the Met Office, today’s rainfall in Dubai may have made it the wettest April day on record, with over 40mm of rain falling at both Dubai airports.
“Urban areas and baked ground can contribute to a higher risk of surface water flooding since the water faces difficulty permeating the ground.”
Lightning streaked across the sky, occasionally reaching the pinnacle of the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa.
Rain is not a common occurrence in the UAE, but it does occur periodically during the cooler winter months.
Insufficient drainage in many roads and other areas often leads to flooding, as the lack of regular rainfall fails to alleviate the problem.
