Sudden deluge drowns Dubai

Dubai: In an unprecedented meteorological occurrence, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has witnessed an extraordinary deluge, marking the most substantial rainfall recorded in 24 hours till late on Tuesday night. This surpasses any documented precipitation event since the inception of data collection in 1949, affecting various regions across the nation, according to UAE Centre of Meteorology.

Dubai was battered by heavy rain, bringing the glitzy city to a standstill.

The desert city received two years’ worth of rain in just a day even as heavy thunderstorms lashed other parts of the country.

Popular shopping centres -- Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates -- faced flooding and water was ankle-deep in at least one Dubai Metro station, according to photos and videos posted on social media.

One of the viral videos showed workers removing water from the Chanel and Fendi luxury stores inside a mall. Another video showed water crashing into the showroom of Danish variety store chain Flying Tiger.

With the runway at the Dubai international airport - one of the world’s busiest air hubs - flooded, numerous flights were diverted on Tuesday. The airport even halted its operations for a short period of time in the evening.

Schools in the UAE are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the adverse weather. The Dubai government has also asked its employees to work from home on Wednesday.

Another viral video showed a flooded metro station in the city.

Residents of Dubai flooded social media with videos and pictures of the deluge. A long traffic jam was seen on the flagship Sheikh Zayed Road that connects Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Dubai received 5.59 inches of rainfall on Tuesday, more than the city’s annual average rainfall of 3.73 inches.

The storms and torrential rain hit the UAE, Bahrain and parts of Qatar after hitting Oman, where they caused deadly floods and left dozens stranded.

In the neighbouring Oman, 18 people were killed due to heavy rain.