The rain in the UAE was described as a historic weather event by the state-run news agency, surpassing anything documented since 1949, predating the establishment of the UAE in 1971. Dubai experienced heavy rainfall from thunderstorms starting Monday night and lasting until Tuesday evening, with over 142 millimeters of rain falling, a quantity typically seen over a year and a half. The disruption of air travel due to the heavy rains led to flight diversions and delays. Airport operations were briefly suspended for 25 minutes on Tuesday afternoon. Despite the rain easing later on Tuesday, disruptions extended into Wednesday, causing flooding in homes, abandoned vehicles on roadways, and inundated popular shopping centers like Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates. Tanker trucks were deployed to pump water from the streets. Al Ain, approximately 130 kilometers away from Dubai, received a record rainfall of 254 mm, while Fujairah on the eastern coast of the UAE saw 145 mm of rain on Tuesday. Schools across the UAE were closed on Tuesday, with Dubai extending work-from-home arrangements for government employees until Wednesday. In neighboring Oman, severe rainfall claimed 18 lives, including 10 school children swept away in a vehicle with an adult, as reported by the AP. The heavy rains in Dubai were primarily caused by a storm system moving through the Arabian Peninsula and across the Gulf of Oman. Reports suggested that cloud seeding may have exacerbated the rainfall, with meteorologists conducting several cloud-seeding flights before the rains. Experts have proposed that rising global temperatures could also have contributed to the event. Higher temperatures lead to increased evaporation from land and water bodies, resulting in a warmer atmosphere capable of holding more moisture. Studies indicate that a 1-degree Celsius temperature rise can increase atmospheric moisture capacity by about 7%, intensifying storms and potentially causing severe flooding through increased precipitation intensity, duration, and frequency.
Studies in India’s Thar desert and Australia’s desert regions suggest that climate change may bring more rainfall to these areas. Global temperatures have risen significantly due to greenhouse gas emissions, with the UAE experiencing a notable increase. While linking specific extreme weather events to climate change is challenging due to various factors like natural climate patterns, the overall trend of rising temperatures underscores the urgent need for climate action.
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