Heavy rainfall caused massive flooding in Dubai on Tuesday, turning streets into rivers and submerging homes, businesses and the country’s international airport.
A shocking video shows the runway of Dubai International Airport – recently crowned the second busiest airport in the world – underwater and huge aircraft trying to cross the water, looking more like boats moving through the flooded airport.
The airport’s shutdown continues today, as surrounding roads have been blocked by flooding and many airlines, including Emirates, are reporting flight delays.
Emirates is suspending check-in for passengers departing from Dubai from 8:00am local time on Wednesday until midnight on Thursday due to “operational challenges caused by poor weather and road conditions”.
However, the airline said transit passengers would continue to be served, but warned of significant delays to both departures and arrivals.
Meanwhile, budget airline Flydubai has cancelled all flights until 10am local time on Wednesday.
Dubai International Airport also advised people to “DO NOT enter the airport unless absolutely necessary” and said that “flights continue to be delayed and diverted”.
One stranded passenger told CNN he spent the night at the airport with hundreds of others after flying out of Hong Kong late Tuesday because there were no transfer options from the terminal.
Nearly 100 millimetres of rain fell in just 12 hours on Tuesday, according to airport meteorological measurements – about as much as Dubai usually records in a full year, according to United Nations data.
The rain fell so hard and so fast that some drivers were forced to abandon their vehicles as the water rose dangerously, turning the roads into torrents.
The rain that “submerged” Dubai under water is linked to a larger storm system that is crossing the Arabian Peninsula and moving into the Gulf of Oman.
In neighbouring Oman, at least 18 people have died in the heavy rains of recent days, according to the Associated Press.
Like the rest of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has a hot and dry climate. As a result, rainfall is rare and in many areas there is limited infrastructure to cope with extreme events.
