The desert city of Dubai witnessed record-breaking heavy rains, thundering, and lightning leading to flooded streets and highways in the city on Tuesday. Due to the Dubai floods, flight operations in Dubai were disrupted such as delays in the flight timing, cancellation of Dubai flights, and many other issues.
The Dubai Airport authority stated “The airport is working hard with its response teams and service partners to restore normal operations and minimize inconvenience to our customers. We urge guests to check directly with the airline to obtain the latest information on the status of their flight, allow significant extra travel time to the airport, and use the Dubai metro where possible.”
Let’s dive deep below and know more about how the Dubai floods have affected air travel, the delays, diversions, and cancellations of flights.
Due to heavy rainfall in the UAE, the government has issued a red warning as the weather further worsened across the country, and hence offices, schools, and banks across the country have been closed and offices have been instructed to work from home. Citizens are urged to stay indoors as much as possible and only to leave their homes for essential reasons.
The National Centre of Meteorology confirmed that the country’s highest rainfall level occurred in the eastern emirate of Al Ain, reaching 254.8 mm (10 inches) in less than 24 hours. This amount of rain surpasses the 100 mm mark, marking a 75-year record since rainfall measurements began in the UAE.
Dubai rains led to flight cancellations and delays at Dubai’s international airport, leaving travelers stranded for hours both in the terminal and on the tarmac. Road blockages and flooding prevented many passengers from reaching the airport for their departing flights, according to airport officials.
Airlines like Emirates are advising passengers to arrive at the airport up to four hours before their scheduled flight time. Additionally, a tweet from Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority recommended, “If you’re traveling from #DXB today, make sure to allow extra time to reach the airport and consider using the Dubai Metro, where possible. The metro operating hours have been extended until 3 AM tonight.”
The Dubai Airport also halted operations for 25 minutes and canceled more than 50 flights yesterday in the afternoon due to heavy Dubai floods. Affected destinations included cities around India and Pakistan, as well as Saudi Arabia and Manchester.
In a video that went viral on social media, many videos captured the heavy flooding inside the city’s major malls. The leaked video shows water pouring from the ceiling leading to the breaking down of infrastructure.
Police and emergency personnel navigated flooded streets this morning, their emergency lights flashing through the city. Lightning illuminated the sky, occasionally striking the tip of the Burj Khalifa. Flagship shopping centers such as Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates were also flooded.
What caused heavy rainfall in Dubai?
The major reason for the recent heavy rains and Dubai floods can be the cloud seeding operations. The National Centre of Meteorology confirmed that seeding planes conducted seven missions over two days, targeting suitable clouds to maximize rainfall. According to a special meteorologist, Ahmed Habib, planes were dispatched from Al Ain airport to seed clouds that show potential for rain enhancement.
Cloud seeding is a te chnique used to modify weather by increasing precipitation. It disperses substances into the air that act as cloud condensation or ice nuclei. Since 2002, the UAE has been conducting cloud seeding operations, primarily targeting convective cloud formations. This technique is employed because the United Arab Emirates experiences arid conditions due to its desert climate. By seeding clouds with certain materials, they aim to encourage the formation of raindrops and increase precipitation, which is crucial for water security, agriculture, and sustaining the environment in this dry region.
One of the other reasons for the heaving flooding in Dubai can also be global warming and weather change. Climatologist Friederike Otto stated that it is highly probable that the “deadly and destructive rain in Oman and Dubai was intensified by human-caused climate change.”
However, as we all know Dubai is a city known for its towering skyscrapers, bustling streets, and scorching desert heat but the recent unexpected incident, the Dubai floods turned the city’s roads into rivers and caused chaos for residents and travelers alike.
