Key Points
- It’s believed the flooding could have been caused by cloud-seeding flights.
- More than 142mm of rainfall soaked Dubai over 24 hours.
- Flights were disrupted, with aircraft crews unable to reach the airfield.
The state-run WAM news agency called the rain “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949” — before the discovery of crude oil in the energy-rich region, then part of a British protectorate known as the Trucial States.
One possible contributor may have been cloud seeding, in which small planes operated by the government fly through clouds burning special salt flares. Source: AAP / Ali Haider
Several reports quoted meteorologists at the National Centre for Meteorology as saying they flew six or seven cloud-seeding flights before the rains.
The rains started late on Monday, soaking the sands and roadways of Dubai with 20mm of rain, according to meteorological data collected at Dubai International Airport.
Arrivals were halted on Tuesday night, and passengers struggled to reach terminals through the floodwater covering surrounding roads.
One couple, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, to speak freely in a country with strict laws that criminalise critical speech, called the situation at the airport “absolute carnage”. Source: Getty / Anadolu
Dubai International Airport acknowledged on Wednesday morning that the flooding had left “limited transportation options” and affected flights as aircraft crews could not reach the airfield.
Passengers on FlyDubai, Emirates’ low-cost sister airline, also faced disruptions.
“It remains an incredibly challenging time. In living memory, I don’t think anyone has ever seen conditions like it,” Griffiths told the state-owned talk radio station Dubai Eye.
Some aircraft had been diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, the city-state’s second airfield. Source: AAP / PA/Alamy
“We are in uncharted territory, but I can assure everyone we are working as hard as we possibly can to make sure our customers and staff are looked after.”