There has been very little rain in the Arab region in recent daysStorm,floodThis caused a disaster, with roads, houses and shopping malls submerged. In Oman alone, 18 more people were reported killed than in the entire year. Heavy flooding also occurred at Dubai International Airport; the airport remained temporarily closed, with more than 50 flights temporarily cancelled.

Heavy rainfall occurred across the UAE and neighboring countries on the 16th, and is expected to continue until the morning of the 17th local time. The UAE National Meteorological Center and UAE authorities have announced on social platforms that this is the heaviest rainfall in the region in at least 75 years.

Annual rainfall in Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates, is typically 5 inches (about 127 millimeters), with one-day rainfall exceeding 120 millimeters in areas south of Dubai by the evening of the 16th.

Dubai International Airport was also flooded. Operations were temporarily suspended for 25 minutes and about 50 flights were cancelled. Photographs of planes on tarmac in water were also circulated on the Internet. The airport has now announced the resumption of flight departures. Officials have urged arriving people to stay away from flood and waterlogged areas.

Dubai Air announced that it will suspend all flights from Dubai until 10am local time today due to inclement weather.

The countries of the Arabian Peninsula are generally dry and rainfall is short and occurs only in winter. Due to the lack of regular rainfall, many roads and other areas lack drainage systems, making flooding possible from a single heavy rain.

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