Dubai rains: 6 most flood-hit areas after record downpour

Al Ittihad Road. Photo by Shihab/KT

Dubai witnessed a record breaking rainfall from late Monday until Tuesday night, with many neighbourhoods in the city getting severely affected. Water logging on many major roads put Dubai on a standstill. Here are some of the most affected neighbourhoods across town, with a crucial insight on how the unstable weather affected parts of the northern Emirates and Al Ain.

Heavy downpour on a major highway connecting Sharjah and Dubai caused traffic jam, with motorists trapped for hours. To relieve congestion, authorities rerouted traffic to alternate routes such as Dubai-Al Ain Road and Emirates Road. Flooding also damaged Ittihad Road, with vehicles partially submerged and traffic disrupted.

During the torrential downpour, Dubai International Airport encountered substantial issues, with pools of water gathering on taxiways and causing arrivals to be suspended on Tuesday night. Passengers had difficulty reaching terminals owing to floodwaters covering nearby roads, leading to long taxi waits and delays. Many flights were delayed, cancelled, or diverted, causing Emirates, Dubai’s main airline, to cancel all check-ins.

Flooding affected popular shopping centres like Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates, resulting in ankle-deep water and property damage. Lightning lit up the sky, occasionally striking the top of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, while Jumeirah and the Business Bay neighbourhood also experienced lightning. Certain metro stations on the Green and Red lines will be undergoing maintenance following the flooding.

Water levels on Estiqlal Street in Sharjah rose to ankle-deep. Road visibility decreased, creating hazardous driving conditions. The situation was no better in Sharjah’s Al Qasimiya neighbourhood, where knee-high water levels made it difficult for residents to negotiate flooded roads. In Sharjah, vehicles along the corniche were submerged in water, with levels reaching beyond knee height, impeding mobility and making it difficult for redidents to leave their houses. Some houses experienced leaks through their windows, resulting in minor interior flooding.

Al Nahda experienced extensive flooding, with vehicles submerged and navigation becoming increasingly difficult.

Residential areas like Umm Hurair and Karama in Dubai were also severely affected, with homes and streets inundated by floodwaters. In Al Quoz, the flooding led to traffic congestion, leaving cars stranded and causing delays in movement.

In Ras al Khaimah, tragedy struck when a 70-year-old man was swept away in his vehicle while attempting to cross a flooded wadi during hazardous weather conditions. On Tuesday, Fujairah, on the eastern coast of the UAE, received 145 millimetres (5.7 inches) of rain. Authorities opted to postpone school and extended remote work arrangements to Wednesday.

The UAE experienced record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday, with Al Ain receiving an unprecedented 254mm (10 inches) of rain in less than 24 hours, as reported by the National Centre of Meteorology.