Clean up starts after six months of rain in four days for UAE
▶ Civil defence and municipal teams show they’re up for clean-up tasks
More than six months of rain fell across the UAE in four days after a major storm swept through most parts of the country.
The National Centre of Meteorology said yesterday that almost 60mm of rain fell in Dubai, while 78mm – the highest recorded in the country – fell over Khatam Al Shaklah in Abu Dhabi.
In Al Farfar neighbourhood of Fujairah, 77.4mm of rain fell, while 25.4mm fell in Al Ain, the NCM said.
The UAE’s average rainfall is less than 100mm a year.
A clean-up operation was under way yesterday with the situation slowly returning to normal.
Rain was still forecast in the east and south yesterday but the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said that the severe weather had ended.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority also said streets had been drained to clear the flooding, with buses now operating normally.
Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority, which regulates the emirate’s private schools, said that some nurseries, schools and universities will be allowed to introduce remote learning today should damage to buildings from the weather be too severe to fix before pupils return.
In Sharjah, emergency response teams of about 400 people used 200 tankers, 180 mobile pumps, 50 water basins and 20 towing vehicles during the cleanup operation.
The storm, which started on Friday evening mainly in Abu Dhabi, spread to all areas of the UAE early on Saturday and caused localised flooding.
Many parts of the country saw significant amounts of rain with events cancelled, flights diverted, wadis and beaches shut and several roads partially under water.
The latest stormy weather came about a month after a two-day depression swept across the UAE.
Eight years ago on March 9, a storm caused havoc across the Emirates.
The NCM has forecast rising temperatures and warned of fog for today.
About six months’ worth of rain fell across the UAE in four days as a storm swept across much of the country.
The National Centre of Meteorology said yesterday that almost 60mm of rain had fallen in Dubai, while the highest rainfall recorded in the country so far – 78mm – came down over Khatam Al Shaklah to the east of Al Ain.
In Al FarFar neighbourhood of Fujairah, 77.4mm of rain fell, while 25.4mm was reported to have fallen on Al Ain, the NCM said.
The UAE’s typical rainfall is less than 100mm a year.
A clean-up operation was under way yesterday when conditions slowly began returning to normal.
Rain was forecast for the east and south yesterday, but the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (Ncema) said that the severe weather had ended.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority said roads had been drained to clear the flooding, and bus services were operating as normal.
Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority, which regulates the emirate’s private schools, said yesterday that some nurseries, schools and universities will be allowed to introduce remote learning today should damage to buildings from the weather be too severe to repair before pupils return to their classes.
The storm, which started on Friday evening, mainly in Abu
Dhabi, spread to all areas of the UAE early on Saturday and caused localised flooding.
Many parts of the country had to cope with significant amounts of rain.
Public events were cancelled, flights were diverted to other airports, wadis and beaches were shut, parks were closed and several roads were flooded to varying degrees.
Motorists also faced delays, with traffic reduced on motorways on Saturday, including Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road (E311) because of the intensity of the downpours.
Dubai Police also reported diversions and flooding in Amman Street, Aleppo Street, Al Nahda Street, Al Ittihad Street, Al Khawaneej Street, Al Yalayis Street and Al Qudra Street.
Pictures posted to social media showed flood damage to villas.
In Kalba, Sudanese resident Adbelbasit Hassan said his home was partially flooded after heavy rain fell on Friday night and Saturday evening.
“It rained all night on Friday,” said Mr Hassan, whose life was disrupted by the floods in 2022. “Water came into my house.”
He said authorities had pumped the floodwater away and it had receded enough by yesterday that he could stay in his home.
“Now it is OK,” he said. “The water has gone down.”
Authorities had put an emergency plan in place to mitigate the effects of the storm. Ncema explained its preparations at a briefing on Thursday.
In Dubai, emergency response teams of about 2,300 people worked around the clock to manage the situation, the emirate’s media office said.
Weather videos posted to social media by the NCM showed downpours, with water coursing through rain-swollen wadis and dams. Clips on Storm Centre, a popular channel that tracks the country’s weather, showed torrential rain, hail and flooded roads.
Other channels chose to show a more picturesque aspect of the rain, such as a waterfall in Ras Al Khaimah’s Wadi Ghalila and the desert of Sharjah blooming into a sea of green.
In Sharjah, emergency response teams of about 400 people used 200 tankers, 180 mobile pumps, 50 water basins and 20 towing vehicles during the clean-up operation.
The civil defence teams have also been responding to emergencies.
“Our main focus has been rescuing individuals trapped in their homes or vehicles,” Brig Sami Al Naqbi, director general of the Sharjah Civil Defence Authority, told The National.
“We successfully moved several families in collaboration with the Sharjah Social Services Department.”
On Saturday evening, Dubai’s RTA said traffic on Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road was moving as usual.
The emirate’s marine transport services were back to normal after being suspended as a precaution that morning.
The latest stormy weather came about a month after a two-day depression swept across the UAE.
Eight years ago on March 9, a storm caused havoc across the Emirates.
The NCM has forecast rising temperatures and warned of fog for today.
Cloudy weather over islands and coastal areas is forecast for late this afternoon and evening, while humidity is expected to be high.
The rest of the week is forecast to be more settled.
After days of fighting the floods, authorities across the UAE expect more settled weather for the rest of this week