The Gulf countries of Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are under the influence of heavy rains.
The torrential downpour in the United Arab Emirates paralyzed life. While streets, roads and Dubai International Airport were flooded due to floods, 21 international and 24 domestic flights were canceled. The moments when an airplane belonging to Flydubai airline was moving with difficulty in flood waters were recorded moment by moment by those around.
Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports for international travel, was in chaos last night. Social media footage shows hundreds of passengers crowding the airport, some of them lying on the ground while waiting for their flights.
LUXURY VEHICLES IN THE WATER WAITING TO BE RESCUED
Images from outside the airport also showed a scene reminiscent of apocalyptic movies. Many drivers were forced to abandon their luxury vehicles due to flooding on the roads surrounding the airport.
While the abandoned vehicles were waiting to be rescued in the flood, a few brave drivers declared war on the weather conditions and shared these moments on social media by driving their vehicles in the water.
WARNING TO CITY DWELLERS: STAY INDOORS
"We urge residents to remain calm and stay away from puddles," the National Meteorological Center said in a warning issued on X, while authorities warned that people should stay indoors as much as possible until the exceptional weather pattern ends.
HISTORIC WEATHER EVENT: SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
In images posted on social media, items on the balconies and terraces of houses were seen flying due to the storm.
The state-owned WAM news agency described the rainfall as a "historic weather event", saying it surpassed "anything documented since 1949". It said the highest rainfall was recorded in the Hatm al-Shikle area of Al-Ayn city, reaching 254.8 millimeters in less than 24 hours.
Authorities suspended schools due to the storm and went into a state of emergency, forming large teams to deal with puddles.
