Dubai Drenched: Unprecedented Rainfall Floods City in 24 Hours

Dubai saw a deluge on Tuesday after a record amount of rainfall within 24 hours filled official data, which, by volume, corresponded with two years of precipitation.

Dubai received a whopping 6.26 inches of rainfall during the 24-hour period from 10 p.m. local time Monday to 10 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to the Meteorological Office of Dubai. The city, normally recording an average annual rain of 3.12 inches, was bracing for an exceptional deluge.

Due to the unusual weather, the airport had to divert the incoming flights scheduled for Tuesday evening. The outbound flights were unaffected.

All government offices, private schools, and nurseries in Dubai had asked their respective employees and students to remain at home on that day due to the bad weather conditions.

A major percentage of yearly rainfall, about 92%, usually takes place between November and March in Dubai. Though there is not very much rainfall on average, the month of April has very little rainfall, about 0.13 inches.

Experts associate such extreme weather events, including increased rainfall and consequent flooding, with human-induced climate change. This phenomenon not only works to increase the frequency of such extreme weather events but also presents added pressure on infrastructure that is poorly equipped to deal with the rapid influxes of water.

The intensity of possible extreme weather events, among them heavy rainfall leading to flooding, is likely to increase.