This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/17/dubai-floods-uae-rainfall-weather-forecast

The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 5 Version 6
Desert city of Dubai floods as heaviest rainfall in 75 years hits UAE Desert city of Dubai floods as heaviest rainfall in 75 years hits UAE
(about 3 hours later)
City records more than 142mm of rain in a day, about as much as it expects in a year and a half, as rain floods highways and homes City records more than 142mm of rain in a day, about as much as it expects in a year and a half, as highways and malls flooded
Heavy rains have hit the United Arab Emirates, flooding major highways and disrupting flights at Dubai international airport – in what the government has described as the largest amount of rainfall in the past 75 years. Heavy rains have hit the United Arab Emirates, flooding highways and disrupting flights at one of the world’s busiest airports. The government described it as the largest amount of rainfall in the past 75 years.
At least one person was killed, a 70-year-old man who was swept away in his car in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the country’s seven emirates, police said, surpassing “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949”. At least one person was killed, a 70-year-old man who police said was swept away in his car in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the country’s seven emirates.
The rains began on Monday night, and by Tuesday evening, more than 142mm (5.59in) had soaked the desert city of Dubai, normally the average amount it gets in a year and a half. Footage from Dubai international airport showed passenger jets moving through deep water, spraying water in their wake, while photos captured city streets turned to rivers, with cars sitting abandoned in flood waters.
Rain also fell in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, although the precipitation was particularly significant in the UAE. Despite the widespread impact, authorities have remained tight-lipped on the extent of the damage.
An average year sees 94.7mm (3.73in) of rain at Dubai international airport, the world’s busiest for international travel and a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates, which experienced “significant disruption”, it said on Wednesday. The rains began on Monday night and by Tuesday evening more than 142mm (5.59in) had soaked the desert city of Dubai – normally the amount it gets in a year and a half.
Ahmed Habib, a meteorologist, told Bloomberg the heightened rainfall in the UAE might be attributed to the practice of “cloud seeding” in which government-operated small aircraft release salt flares into clouds to potentially enhance precipitation levels. Rain also fell in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but the precipitation was particularly significant in the UAE.
Some inland areas of the UAE recorded more than 80mm of rain over 24 hours to 8am on Tuesday, approaching the annual average of about 100mm. Rain is unusual in the UAE, on the arid Arabian peninsula, but occurs periodically during the cooler winter months. An average year sees 94.7mm (3.73in) of rain at Dubai international airport, the world’s busiest for international travel and a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates, which said on Wednesday it had experienced “significant disruption”.
Homes were flooded and vehicles were abandoned on roadways across Dubai as authorities sent tanker trucks into the streets to pump away the water. Many roads and other areas lack drainage given the lack of regular rainfall. EgyptAir suspended flights between Cairo and Dubai until the conditions improve.
Some media reports suggested the rains may have been made worse by cloud seeding, a common practice in the dry Emirates to encourage clouds to produce precipitation by releasing salt particles into the air, often using planes. The salt released in cloud-seeding operations helps water droplets to form, increasing the chance of rain.
However, the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), which oversees cloud-seeding operations in the UAE, told CNBC that no missions had been dispatched for seeding operations before or during the turbulent weather episode.
Omar Al Yazeedi, the deputy director general of the NCM, said: “We did not engage in any seeding operations during this particular weather event. The essence of cloud seeding lies in targeting clouds at an earlier stage, prior to precipitation. Engaging in seeding activities during a severe thunderstorm scenario would prove futile.”
Maarten Ambaum, a professor of atmospheric physics and dynamics at the University of Reading, said he had spoken to meteorologists at the NCM who had denied cloud seeding had taken place.
“Cloud seeding, certainly in the Emirates, is used for clouds that don’t normally produce rain … You would not normally develop a very severe storm out of that,” he said, adding that it would be “totally pointless” to try to seed clouds that were already likely to produce downpours. “Even if you did go out, there is no way you could find a measurable difference.”
He added: “In the 50s and 60s, people still thought about using cloud seeding to produce these big weather events, or change these big weather events. This [has] long been recognised as just not a realistic possibility.”
Rain is unusual in the UAE but occurs periodically during the cooler winter months.
Homes were flooded and vehicles were abandoned on roadways across Dubai, and authorities sent tanker trucks into the streets to pump away the water. Many roads and other areas lack drainage given the rarity of regular rainfall.
شاهد.. ارتفاع منسوب المياه بمطار #دبي#منخفض_الهدير pic.twitter.com/8gswSzbJKJشاهد.. ارتفاع منسوب المياه بمطار #دبي#منخفض_الهدير pic.twitter.com/8gswSzbJKJ
The major shopping centres Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates had flooding, with ankle-deep water in at least one Dubai Metro station, according to images posted on social media. The major shopping centres Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates had flooding, and there was ankle-deep water in at least one Dubai Metro station, according to images posted on social media.
Lightning was seen flashing across the sky, occasionally touching the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.Lightning was seen flashing across the sky, occasionally touching the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
The National Center for Meteorology in a post on X urged residents to “take all the precautions … and to stay away from areas of flooding and water accumulation”. The NCM in a post on X urged residents to “take all the precautions … and to stay away from areas of flooding and water accumulation”.
The UAE government media office posted on its X account that the downpours were an “exceptional” climate event. Even more rain is expected.The UAE government media office posted on its X account that the downpours were an “exceptional” climate event. Even more rain is expected.
صور الرادار ثلاثية الأبعاد لحركة تكون السحب#أمطار #أمطار_الخير#المركز_الوطني_للأرصاد3D Radar images of cloud formation over the area#rain#national_Center_of_Meteorology pic.twitter.com/NBYkFL1Gsnصور الرادار ثلاثية الأبعاد لحركة تكون السحب#أمطار #أمطار_الخير#المركز_الوطني_للأرصاد3D Radar images of cloud formation over the area#rain#national_Center_of_Meteorology pic.twitter.com/NBYkFL1Gsn
Schools were shut across the UAE and were expected to remain closed on Wednesday. Dubai’s government also extended remote working for its employees into Wednesday. Schools were shut across the UAE and were expected to remain closed on Wednesday. Dubai’s government extended remote working for its employees.
Dubai’s international airport also diverted some incoming flights on Tuesday. The weather system had already caused floods across Bahrain and left 18 dead in Oman, including 10 schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle.
Earlier the weather system caused floods across Bahrain, and left 18 dead in Oman, on the eastern edge of the Arabian peninsula, on Sunday and Monday, according to Agence France-Presse, including 10 schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle with an adult. Human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather across the world, driving more frequent and more deadly disasters from heatwaves and wildfire to floods. At least a dozen of the most serious events of the last decade would have been all but impossible without human-caused global heating.
The UAE, which heavily relies on energy-hungry desalination plants to provide water, started cloud-seeding operations in 2002 to address water security issues, but the lack of drainage in many areas can trigger flooding.
Cloud seeding involves using aircraft or drones to add small particles of silver iodide, which has a structure similar to ice, to clouds. Water droplets cluster around the particles, modifying the structure of the clouds and increasing the chance of precipitation.
Cloud-seeding experiments have taken place since the 1940s but until recently there was little certainty the method had any positive impact.
Human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather across the world, driving more frequent and more deadly disasters from heatwaves and wildfires to floods. At least a dozen of the most serious events of the last decade would have been all but impossible without human-caused global heating.
Extreme rainfall is more common and more intense because of human-caused climate breakdown across most of the world. This is because warmer air can hold more water vapour. It is most likely that flooding has become more frequent and severe as a result.Extreme rainfall is more common and more intense because of human-caused climate breakdown across most of the world. This is because warmer air can hold more water vapour. It is most likely that flooding has become more frequent and severe as a result.
Ambaum, the University of Reading professor, said the world should expect more extreme weather events. “We have been saying for several decades now that in a changing climate we will probably get more of these kinds of severe events, and indeed this is happening.”
Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this reportAssociated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report