The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event, with the heaviest rain ever recorded in the country.
The rainfall lasted hours as it submerged portions of major highways in the country.
Dubai’s international airport was also physically and economically affected.
According to WAM news agency, UAE state-run media house, the rain was “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949.”
That’s before the discovery of crude oil in this energy-rich nation which was once part of a British protectorate known as the Trucial States.
According to meteorological data collected at Dubai International Airport, the rains began late Monday, soaking the sands and roadways of Dubai with some 20 millimeters (0.79 inches) of rain.
The storms intensified around 9 a.m. local Tuesday and continued throughout the day, dumping more rain and hail onto the city which was already overwhelmed.
By the end of Tuesday, more than 142 millimeters (5.59 inches) of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours.
An average year sees 94.7 millimeters (3.73 inches) of rain at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel and a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates.
However, this was different, as standing water lapped on taxiways as aircraft landed.
The airport was forced to halt arrivals Tuesday night as passengers struggled to get to the terminals through the roads already submerged.
Join our WhatsApp community via https://goquick.ly/cj8q2 for instant and latest news updates.