By Beauty Adewale
Airport operations across the UAE were disrupted and major roads submerged as the country was hit by its heaviest rainfall in months on Friday. Authorities confirmed multiple flight cancellations and delays, while flooding affected key urban areas.
Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates cancelled 13 flights, and Sharjah International Airport also reported significant delays and cancellations following overnight rain accompanied by intense lightning and thunder that jolted residents awake.
Flooding was reported on Sharjah’s main thoroughfare early Friday, where residents were seen walking barefoot through standing water. In one instance, a cyclist navigated the submerged road as water levels rose to the height of his wheels.
The scenes revived memories of April 2024, when record-breaking rainfall triggered widespread flooding and forced the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights at Dubai International Airport.
Ahead of the storm, Dubai Police urged residents on Thursday to remain indoors unless travel was absolutely essential. By Friday morning, water-pumping vehicles were deployed across Dubai to clear flooded streets and blocked roads.
Dubai Airports confirmed that dozens of flights were delayed or cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. A spokesperson said operational disruptions were ongoing as authorities worked to manage the impact of the storm.
The National Center of Meteorology had earlier forecast rainfall across the UAE from Thursday through Friday, including Dubai and the capital Abu Dhabi.
Heavy rain also affected other Gulf countries. In Qatar, the Arab Cup third-place football playoff between Saudi Arabia and the UAE was cancelled on Thursday due to poor weather conditions.
Last year’s unprecedented rainfall—the heaviest recorded in the UAE in 76 years—claimed at least four lives and paralyzed Dubai for several days. A study by the World Weather Attribution group concluded that climate change driven by fossil fuel emissions likely intensified the extreme rainfall experienced in the UAE and Oman.
