Rain causes flight cancellations, school and office closures in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, not long after deadly flooding.
Two weeks ago, a massive storm hit several areas of the country, causing devastating floods and taking lives in the UAE and Oman. The floods killed at least four people in the UAE, grounding Dubai to a standstill and claiming 19 lives in Oman, including 10 children whose school bus was washed away.
Recent images from Ras Al-Khaimah showed palm trees bending under the weight of strong winds and torrential rain, with lightning lighting up the sky. While the latest rainfall was not as intense as the previous event, Dubai still faced 20 mm in 12 hours, about twice what it usually receives during the months of April and May combined. Abu Dhabi dealt with 34 mm in 24 hours, more than four times the average rainfall for that period.
In contrast to the unpreparedness during the last storm, residents were better prepared this time. The streets were being cleared of drains a day before the rain arrived, and emergency notifications were sent out through mobile devices, advising them to stay indoors if possible.
The authorities did their best to mitigate the damage, with remote work and learning being enforced in areas impacted by the rain. Roads leading to flood-prone valleys were shut down, and people were urged to avoid mountainous, desert and beach areas.
The extreme weather has left scientists linking the heavy rainfall that impacted the UAE and Oman to climate change. A group of scientists and researchers under the World Weather Attribution initiative found that the intensity of such rainfall events in the region, which typically occur during El Niño years, could be between 10 and 40% higher due to global warming.
The UAE faced its heaviest rainfall in the last 75 years within less than 24 hours during the previous storm. The emirate of Dubai received more rain than it normally would during the months April and May combined.
Brandon Miller from CNN contributed to this report.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
