The United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently experienced its heaviest rainfall ever due to a severe thunderstorm that struck the country late on Monday night, resulting in one fatality, property damage, and disruptions to air travel in Dubai.
Dubai, a typically arid region, received an unprecedented amount of rain, with more than 142 millimetres falling in just one day – a stark contrast to the average annual rainfall of 94.7 millimetres at Dubai International Airport. The heavy downpour led to widespread flooding, causing chaos at the airport and throughout the city.
The impact of the heavy rains was felt across Dubai, with homes flooded, vehicles abandoned on roads, and popular shopping centers like Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates overcome with water. School closures and work-from-home mandates were implemented to ensure the safety of residents amidst the extreme weather conditions.
The primary cause of this exceptional rainfall event was attributed to a storm system passing through the Arabian peninsula and moving across the Gulf of Oman. Additionally, cloud seeding – a practice of inducing rainfall by spraying salt mixtures into clouds – may have contributed to the intensity of the downpour.
According to several reports, “meteorologists at the National Center for Meteorology as saying they flew six or seven cloud-seeding flights before the rains.”
Experts have pointed to climate change as a potential factor in the increased frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events. Rising global temperatures result in greater evaporation of water, leading to a warmer atmosphere holding more moisture. This, in turn, can lead to more intense and prolonged rainfall, increasing the risk of severe flooding.
While it is challenging to definitively link individual weather events to climate change, the rise in temperatures in the UAE over the past decades, coupled with increased greenhouse gas emissions, highlights the need for proactive measures to address the implications of climate change on extreme weather patterns.
In conclusion, the recent record-breaking rainfall in Dubai serves as a stark reminder of the impacts of climate change and the importance of adaptive strategies to mitigate the risks posed by such extreme weather events in the future.