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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The godforsaken federation of nan United Arab Emirates attempted to barren retired Wednesday from nan heaviest rainfall ever recorded location aft a deluge flooded retired Dubai International Airport, disrupting flights done nan world's busiest airfield for world travel.
The state-run WAM news agency called nan rainfall Tuesday "a historical upwind event" that surpassed "anything documented since nan commencement of information postulation successful 1949." That's earlier nan find of crude lipid successful this energy-rich federation past portion of a British protectorate known arsenic nan Trucial States.
SUDDEN HEAVY RAINS IN OMAN KILL AT LEAST 17 INCLUDING SCHOOLCHILDREN WHOSE BUS WAS OVERTAKEN
Rain besides fell successful Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. However, nan rains were acute crossed nan UAE.
Vehicles beryllium abandoned successful floodwater covering a awesome roadworthy successful Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Heavy thunderstorms lashed nan United Arab Emirates connected Tuesday, dumping complete a twelvemonth and a half worthy of rainfall connected nan godforsaken city-state of Dubai successful nan span of hours arsenic it flooded portions of awesome highways and its world airport. (Jon Gambrell/AP Photo)
The flooding sparked speculation that unreality seeding -- flying mini planes done clouds dispersing chemicals aimed astatine getting rainfall to autumn -- whitethorn person caused nan deluge. But experts said nan large wind systems that produced nan rainfall were forecast good successful beforehand and that unreality seeding would not person caused specified flooding.
Several reports quoted meteorologists astatine nan National Center for Meteorology arsenic saying they flew six aliases 7 cloud-seeding flights earlier nan rains. Flight-tracking information analyzed by The Associated Press showed 1 craft affiliated pinch nan UAE’s cloud-seeding efforts flew astir nan state Monday.
The National, an English-language, state-linked newspaper successful Abu Dhabi, quoted an anonymous charismatic astatine nan halfway connected Wednesday arsenic saying nary unreality seeding took spot connected Tuesday, without acknowledging immoderate earlier flights.
The halfway did not respond to questions Wednesday from nan AP.
The UAE, which heavy relies connected energy-hungry desalination plants to supply water, conducts unreality seeding successful portion to summation its dwindling, constricted groundwater.
Jeff Masters, a meteorologist for Yale Climate Connections, said nan flooding successful Dubai was caused by an unusually beardown debased unit strategy that drove galore rounds of dense thunderstorms.
"You don’t request unreality seeding’s power to relationship for nan grounds deluge successful Dubai," Masters said.
Scientists besides opportunity ambiance alteration successful wide is responsible for much aggravated and much predominant utmost storms, droughts, floods and wildfires astir nan world. Dubai hosted nan United Nations' COP28 ambiance talks conscionable past year. Rising temperatures and different effects of world warming agelong person been viewed arsenic a threat to life successful nan already-baking region.
The rains began precocious Monday, soaking nan sands and roadways of Dubai pinch immoderate 20 millimeters (0.79 inches) of rain, according to meteorological information collected astatine Dubai International Airport. The storms intensified astir 9 a.m. section Tuesday and continued passim nan day, dumping much rainfall and hail onto nan overwhelmed city.
By nan extremity of Tuesday, much than 142 millimeters (5.59 inches) of rainfall had soaked Dubai complete 24 hours. An mean twelvemonth sees 94.7 millimeters (3.73 inches) of rainfall astatine Dubai International Airport, a hub for nan long-haul bearer Emirates.
At nan airport, opinionated h2o lapped connected taxiways arsenic craft landed. Arrivals were halted Tuesday night, and passengers struggled to scope terminals done nan floodwater covering surrounding roads.
One couple, who said to nan AP connected information of anonymity to speak freely successful a state pinch strict laws that criminalize captious speech, called nan business astatine nan airdrome "absolute carnage."
"You cannot get a taxi. There's group sleeping successful nan Metro station. There's group sleeping successful nan airport," nan man said Wednesday.
They ended up getting a taxi to adjacent their location immoderate 30 kilometers (18 miles) away, but floodwater connected nan roadworthy stopped them. A bystander helped them complete a road obstruction pinch their carry-on luggage, nan bottles of gin they picked up from duty-free clinking away.
Dubai International Airport acknowledged Wednesday greeting that nan flooding had near "limited proscription options" and affected flights arsenic craft crews couldn't scope nan airfield.
"Recovery will return immoderate time," nan airdrome said connected nan societal level X.
Emirates said nan hose had halted check-in for passengers departing from Dubai itself from 8 a.m. until midnight Wednesday arsenic it tried to clear nan airdrome of transit passengers — galore of whom had been sleeping wherever they could successful its cavernous terminals.
Passengers connected FlyDubai, Emirates' low-cost sister airline, besides faced disruptions.
Paul Griffiths, nan airport's CEO, acknowledged continued issues pinch flooding Wednesday morning, saying each spot an craft could beryllium safely parked was taken. Some craft had been diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport astatine Dubai World Central, nan city-state's 2nd airfield.
"It remains an incredibly challenging time. In surviving memory, I don’t deliberation anyone has ever seen conditions for illustration it," Griffiths told nan state-owned talk power position Dubai Eye. "We are successful uncharted territory, but I tin guarantee everyone we are moving arsenic difficult arsenic we perchance tin to make judge our customers and unit are looked after."
Egypt’s nationalist carrier, EgyptAir, besides temporarily suspended flights betwixt Cairo and Dubai owed to nan bad weather.
Schools crossed nan UAE, a federation of 7 sheikhdoms, mostly unopen up of nan large wind and authorities labor were mostly moving remotely if able. Many workers stayed location arsenic well, though immoderate ventured out, pinch nan unfortunate stalling retired their vehicles successful deeper-than-expected h2o covering spots connected immoderate roads. That included parts of nan Sheikh Zayed Road, a 12-lane road done downtown Dubai.
Authorities sent tanker trucks retired into nan streets and highways to pump distant nan water. Water poured into immoderate homes, forcing group to bail retired their houses.
The country's hereditary rulers offered nary wide harm aliases wounded accusation for nan nation, arsenic immoderate slept successful their flooded vehicles Tuesday night. In Ras al-Khaimah, nan country's northernmost emirate, constabulary said 1 70-year-old man died erstwhile his conveyance was swept distant by floodwater.
Khatm al-Shakla, an area adjacent Al Ain successful Abu Dhabi, saw 254 millimeters (10 inches) of rainfall Tuesday, nan astir anyplace successful nan country, officials said.
Authorities canceled schoolhouse and nan authorities instituted distant activity again for Wednesday. Dubai later closed schools for nan remainder of nan week.
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Rain is different successful nan UAE, an arid, Arabian Peninsula nation, but occurs periodically during nan cooler wintertime months. Many roads and different areas deficiency drainage fixed nan deficiency of regular rainfall, causing flooding.
Meanwhile successful neighboring Oman, a sultanate that rests connected nan eastbound separator of nan Arabian Peninsula, astatine slightest 19 group were killed successful dense rains successful caller days, according to a connection Wednesday from nan country's National Committee for Emergency Management. That includes immoderate 10 schoolchildren swept distant successful a conveyance pinch an adult, which saw condolences travel into nan state from rulers crossed nan region.
