Dubai locals shocked as weather makes rapid change following floods (2024)

Residents and tourists in Dubai woke up to a surprising sight today as the sun beamed down on the city, following days of relentless rain and devastating flooding.

The unexpected shift in weather comesafterthe United Arab Emirates was battered by more than a year and a half's worth of torrential rain since Monday evening.

The desert city-state yesterday suffered horrendous floods which swamped the airport and many of the surrounding roads, forcing dozens of flights to be cancelled as travellers crammed into the concourse to shelter from the torrential downpour.

Shocking videos shared on social media showed how cars were filled with water, forcing hundreds of motorists to abandon their vehicles - with some having been completely submerged - and swim to safety.

The rains began late on Monday, soaking the sands and roadways of Dubai with some 0.79 inches of rain, according to meteorological data collected at Dubai International Airport.

The storms intensified at around 9am local time on Tuesday and continued throughout the day, dumping more rain and hail onto the overwhelmed city.

By the end of Tuesday, more than 5.59 inches of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours.

Both locals and visitors have been sharing their shock over the weather shift on X today, as well as photograph uploads of sunny skies and drying pavements.

In a tweet, one person joked: 'Wow, Dubai can't decide if it wants to be sunny or rainy! Mother Nature must be feeling indecisive today.'

Another resident announced: 'Gooood morning. Blue sky’s and good vibes. Dubai has been a literal movie… flooding, sunny, flooding, sunny…'

One particularly weary tourist, who uploaded a photo of himself wearing a T-shirt that read "RUGGED," wrote: 'I finally made it to arrive to the hotel after being stuck in the airport for 12h! Yes, I'm feeling rugged by Dubai's weather.'

One baffled local said: 'What a difference a day makes... yesterday we had the larges storm in the recorded history of the UAE. Today? Sun.'

Another person tweeted, 'After a very long rainy day, it's now a quiet, sunny day here in JBR,' with a second writing, 'And now Dubai is back to being sunny as ever.'

Since the storm's passing, experts are now questioning whether the desert city's sudden deluge might have been caused by climate meddling.

Since the early 1990s, the UAE has used a technique called cloud seeding to boost its annual rainfall and boost supplies of drinking water.

In 2021, The United Arab Emirates began creating its own rain using drones that fly into clouds and unleash electrical charges to beat the sweltering 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) heat.

The rain is formed using drone technology that gives clouds an electric shock to 'cajole them' into clumping together and producing precipitation.

The UAE is one of the most arid countries on Earth, and it hopes the technique could help to increase its meagre annual rainfall.

Dubai