Heavy Rains, Rare Flash Floods Batter Dubai

0:00

/1861

1×

Facts

• Severe storms lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, unleashing nearly two years' worth of rain on the desert city of Dubai in just 24 hours.¹
• According to the UAE National Center of Meteorology, nearly 6.26 inches (159 mm) of rain fell over the emirate, which receives 3.14 inches (80 mm) of rain on average per year.²
• Subsequent flash flooding inundated Dubai International Airport leading to temporary diversion of inbound flights.³
• Floodwaters reportedly cut off roads, submerged residences and vehicles, and swamped key infrastructures, including the Mall of the Emirates and a Dubai Metro station.⁴
• Schools remain closed across the UAE, while Dubai government personnel have been instructed to work remotely as more rain is expected.⁵
• In neighboring Oman, torrential rains have so far killed at least 18 — including 10 students who died when their vehicle was swept away in flash floods.⁶

Sources: ¹ABC News, ²FOX Weather, ³BBC News, ⁴NDTV.com, ⁵Guardian and ⁶Associated Press.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Downtoearth. Extreme weather events in Dubai — known for its dry conditions and arid climate — raise concerns about the increasingly evident impact of climate change in a region unaccustomed to heavy rain and flash flooding. Before exceptional weather becomes a regularity in the future as the planet warms, the UAE — one of the world's biggest oil producers — must curb carbon emissions to mitigate the potentially dangerous impacts of climate change.
• Narrative B, as provided by CNN. The rains that swamped Dubai resulted from a larger storm system traversing the Arabian Peninsula and moving across the Gulf of Oman, bringing unusually wet weather. It's far too early to indicate that climate change played a role in the massive storms. Moreover, the city experienced rare flooding because its infrastructure wasn't designed to handle such unexpected rare weather events — given the lack of regular rainfall.

Predictions