Dubai flooding prompts orders to 'stay at home' after city gets 2 years of rain in one day
Normally a desert, the United Arab Emirates got more than 6 inches of rain in a single day, which crippled Dubai. Flooding from the same storm system led to deaths in Oman.
See it: Dubai swamped by 2 years of rain in one day
Dubai, a desert city, has been inundated by a strong Persian Gulf storm which crippled the city. So far they have seen 6.26 inches of rain on Tuesday while the yearly average is only 3.14 inches.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – In just one day, two years of rain fell on Dubai, triggering flash flooding that crippled a city not accustomed to rain.
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Image 1 of 11Police were directing traffic in shin-dep water. (Dubai Media Office)
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Image 2 of 11Emergency crews, a passenger and the driver try to push a stalled car out of the roadway. (Dubai Media Office)
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Image 3 of 11Maintenance crews brought in massive pump trucks to try to clear storm drains. (Dubai Media Office)
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Image 4 of 11Vehicles are stranded on a flooded street following torrential rain in the Gulf Emirate of Dubai on April 16, 2024. (GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP)
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Image 5 of 11Children hardly move on flooded streets due to heavy rain in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on April 16, 2024. ( )
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Image 6 of 11Vehicles are parked in a flooded parking lot following torrential rain in the Gulf Emirate of Dubai on April 16, 2024. Torrential rains and high winds lashed parts of the Gulf on April 16, as the death toll from storms in Oman rose to 18, many of them children. Flights were cancelled in Dubai, the region's financial hub, while schools were shut in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images) (GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP)
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Image 7 of 11Police try to pull a car that is getting swept away by high water. (Dubai Media Office)
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Image 8 of 11Notice the grassy area and shoulder underwater. (Dubai Media Office)
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Image 9 of 11DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - APRIL 16: Cars wades through flooded road due to heavy rainfall as adverse weather conditions negatively affect daily life in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on April 15, 2024. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images) (Anadolu)
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Image 10 of 11DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - APRIL 16: Vehicles hardly move on flooded streets due to heavy rain in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on April 16, 2024. The torrential rain in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), had a detrimental effect on daily life. Flooding ensued as a result of the downpour, leading to several vehicles being submerged on the streets and avenues. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images) (Anadolu)
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Image 11 of 11DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - APRIL 16: Vehicles hardly move on flooded streets due to heavy rain in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on April 16, 2024. The torrential rain in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), had a detrimental effect on daily life. Flooding ensued as a result of the downpour, leading to several vehicles being submerged on the streets and avenues. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images) (Anadolu)
The desert city has seen 6.26 inches of rain as of Tuesday night local time. According to the UAE National Center of Meteorology, the city gets 3.14 inches on average every year.
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Normally dry creeks turned into rapids flowing over roads.
(UAE National Center of Meteorology / FOX Weather)
The country's National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority asked all residents to "stay at home," only "leaving in cases of extreme necessity." Authorities also ordered all schools to operate online and commuters to work from home.
Taking a look at the video shows that not everyone listened. The roads and highways that looked more like rivers, were packed with abandoned, stalled cars with water up to the wheel wells.
'Everywhere's a river' laments Dubai resident
One Dubai resident posted this video on social media and wrote,
The second-busiest airport in the world suspended flights during rain, thunder and wind from a Tuesday morning storm which swamped the runway. Dubai International Airport diverted or canceled all arriving flights, "until the weather conditions improve." Departing flights were still allowed.
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'I have never seen this much lightning in my life before,' said Dubai resident
"So this is not time lapse, its real. I have never seen so much lightning in my life before. This is crazy," Dubai high-rise dweller Toby Cunningham posted on social media.
FLOODING IN OMAN SWEEPS AWAY SCHOOL BUS KILLING 10 CHILDREN
The same storm system killed 10 children in Oman after flash flooding swept a school bus off the road.
Another wave of heavy rain is forecast in the region Wednesday.