Heavy rains and storms lashed Abu Dhabi and Dubai early Thursday, after a brief respite following severe flooding in the UAE last month. So many flights have been cancelled. Bus services in Dubai are currently suspended.
According to the information, five flights coming to Dubai at night have been diverted. The flight coming from Dubai and four other flights have been cancelled. The report states that many Emirates flights have also been cancelled. Local media reports said Dubai citizens were woken up at 3am on Thursday to strong winds, thunder and lightning.
Meteorological Department has issued an alert
About an hour after the rain, at around 4 pm, the country’s meteorological department issued an amber alert, in which it was told that rain clouds have covered most parts of the country. The bad weather in the country is expected to continue till May 3. According to reports, roads were flooded in some areas of Abu Dhabi, while strong winds were reported in Jebel Ali, Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Investment Park and Jumeirah Village Triangle.
On Wednesday, Dubai Airports and two domestic airlines issued an advisory to passengers, asking them to prepare for delays when traveling to Dubai International Airport. The UAE issued a warning of moderate to heavy rain for two days until Thursday, forcing office-goers in Sharjah and Dubai to switch to working from home and remote learning.
It rained heavily last month
Last month in April, a record storm hit Dubai, killing at least three people and disrupting normal life. During this period, flights were canceled and other operations were stopped. It took time for Dubai International Airport to return to normal after the storm flooded taxi routes. Due to this, flights had to be changed, delayed and many flights had to be cancelled. However, reports claimed that flights started on time from Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 of the airport on Saturday. Due to several days of flooding, roads were submerged in water at many places in Dubai and Abu Dhabi till Saturday. In Abu Dhabi, some supermarkets and restaurants faced product shortages, Reuters reported.
Danger may increase due to global warming
Researchers have linked weather events like Tuesday’s storm to climate change and predict that global warming will lead to higher temperatures and an increased risk of flooding in parts of the Bay Area. In countries like the United Arab Emirates, the lack of drainage infrastructure to deal with heavy rainfall can put them at greater risk of flooding.
