Historic rainfall puzzles weather experts
It is for the first time in 75 years – when records of rainfall began in 1949 – that the UAE has experienced such heavy rainfall on Tuesday, leading to inundation of homes in Sharjah, closure of Dubai airport for landings for a few hours.
The rainfall recorded was 254.8 mm in the “Khtam al-shukla” area in Al Ain in less than 24 hours, according to the National Centre of Meteorology. Heavy rainfall was recorded in other areas of the country as well.
In 2016, Shuwaib station had recorded 287.6 mm of rainfall. The heavy rainfall is being attributed to a surface air depression from the south-west accompanied by south-westerly winds, and an upper air depression accompanied by north-westerly winds. The Council of Ministers had extended remote work till Wednesday, excepting those jobs where atendance is required.
Dubai International (DXB) has suspended travel procedures for passengers leaving Dubai till April 18, while procedures continue for travellers arriving in Dubai and transiting. In a statement Dubai Airports said that there are delays and diversions in air traffic. The airport authorities assured passengers that they are working hard to restore operations as quickly as possible.
However, according to WAM, Dubai Airports has announced the reopening of check-in procedures at Terminal 3 for Emirates and Flydubai.
Sharjah has announced “Direct Line” programme which provides hotel accommodation to all families whose homes have been inundated by the heavy rain.
Director of the Communications Department at Sharjah Housing, Ahmed Rashid Al Naqbi, said that meals were provided to the affected families, as also health and treatment help. He said that once the weather improves, engineering teams will go to the damaged houses, assess the damage and restoration work will begin. And a recovery commitee will look ater the welfare of the affected families.
The NCM had forecast partly cloudy to cloudy weather on Friday and on Saturday. On Friday there could be light to medium rain.
The Centre has cautioned motorists about the weather conditions where horizontal visibility could be affected due to winds and dust.
Climate experts are speculating that the sudden change in the monsoon patern, which has affected neighbouring Oman much more and 18 of its citizens have died in the flash floods that had followed heavy rains, could be part of the long-term climate changes due to increasing global warming. The argument is higher temperatures lead to greater evaporation and in turn cause greater precipitation which results in heavy rainfall.
They feel that this could lead to challenges of another kind. But there is as yet no certainty about the explanations being offered. Parts of the UAE, Oman have been receiving steady rainfall for decades now, and there could be a shit in long-term rainfall paterns doe to reasons which are too complex.
It however becomes necessary for the authorities to prepare for heavy rainfall, floods, and disruptions in traffic and living paterns. This would mean that each country would have to prepare its own ground plan because the change in weather is unlikely to be uniform across the region.
There has been heavy rainfall in Pakistan’s dry areas, which had faced a disastrous situation last year, and this year people have died in the floods.
This would mean that neighbouring countries would have to form weather coordinating commitees to take anticipatory measures.
Some weather experts admit that it is the wind systems that made the weather worse and led to the unprecedented rainfall. What is clear is that weather remains quite unpredictable, and the weather data remains inadequate to draw reliable inferences.
While taking measure to cope with extreme weather events, governments will also have to invest in meteorological research.