Dubai floods: The city was paralysed by the unprecedented rain that caused floods across the UAE and Bahrain, and left 18 dead in Oman.
Dubaiwas battered by an usually heavy rain on Tuesday, bringing the glitzy city to a standstill. The desert city received over a year and a half’s worth of rain in just a day even as heavy thunderstorms lashed other parts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Flagship shopping centers Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates were both hit by flooding, and at least one metro station in Dubai was submerged in ankle-deep water, according to images posted on social media. .
One of his videos that went viral showed workers removing water from luxury stores Chanel and Fendi in a shopping mall. In another video, water was seen raining down on the showroom of Danish chain Flying His Tiger.
Watch a video of a flooded shopping mall inDubai here:
Dozens of flights were diverted on Tuesday after the runway at Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest air transport hubs, was flooded. The airport also briefly suspended operations in the evening.
Schools in the UAE will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to bad weather. The Dubai government also asked employees to work from home on Wednesday.
Another viral video showed a flooded subway station in the city. Residents of Dubai posted a flood of videos and images of the deluge on social media. Long traffic jams occurred on Sheikh Zayed Road, the main road connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Dubai received 5.59 inches of rain on Tuesday, above the city’s annual average rainfall of 3.73 inches.
After reaching Oman, the storm and heavy rain hit parts of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, causing deadly flooding and stranding dozens of people.
Heavy rains kill 18 people in Oman, which borders the United Arab Emirates.