Dubai cleans up after record-breaking storm

Restoration underway after massive rainfall brought chaos to airport, flights and roads.

Dubai carriers have resumed operations after a record-breaking storm caused severe flooding across the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai carriers have resumed operations after a record-breaking storm caused severe flooding across the United Arab Emirates. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Jag_cz

Dubai has begun a major cleanup effort in the wake of a massive storm that disrupted transportation systems, including flights at Dubai International Airport.

Unprecedented rainfall led to severe floods across the UAE, causing flight cancellations, stranding workers in their workplace and closing local metro system.

The impact of the storms extended beyond Dubai, affecting Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain as well.

Dubai experienced rainfall equivalent to a year and a half's worth in just a few hours, with Al Ain receiving a staggering 254 mm within less than 24 hours on Tuesday, marking the highest recorded precipitation since data collection began.

In an average year, Dubai International Airport, a major global travel hub, records 94.7 mm of rainfall, according to local reports.

While the rains subsided on Wednesday, President Sheikh Mohamed has called for an investigation into Dubai's infrastructure and its resilience in the face of unprecedented storms, a phenomenon that environmentalists link to climate change.

Emirates and flydubai said operations were back to normal as of Saturday, 20 April but a passenger backlog remained.