The recent heavy rainfall in Dubai, a typically arid region, has stirred attention due to its unprecedented nature. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) encountered an extraordinary downpour following a severe thunderstorm on Monday night, resulting in significant disruptions and damage.
Reportedly, the rain measured the heaviest ever recorded in the UAE’s history, surpassing records dating back to 1949. This event, characterized as historic, caused disruptions in daily life, claimed at least one life, and brought air travel in Dubai to a halt.
Dubai, known for its scarcity of rainfall, experienced an unusual deluge, with over 142 millimeters of rain within a short span, a quantity typically seen over a year and a half.
This inundation disrupted air travel, flooded homes, and submerged roads, including prominent areas like Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates.The origin of these heavy rains lies in a storm system traversing the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf of Oman. Additionally, cloud seeding, a technique involving the introduction of salt mixtures into clouds to induce precipitation, may have contributed to the intensity of the rainfall.
While some experts attribute the event to rising global temperatures associated with climate change, pinpointing a single cause for such extreme weather phenomena remains challenging. Climate change undoubtedly influences weather patterns, increasing the likelihood of intense precipitation events. However, natural climate variability, including phenomena like El Niño and La Niña, also plays a significant role.
While cloud seeding and climate change are easy scapegoats for Dubai's extreme rainfall, probably the effects of urbanization + artificial islands 🏝 affected the seabreeze much more = increased flood potential.
— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) April 17, 2024
The UAE / Dubai rains has nothing to do with cloud seeding. The extreme rains were picked by global models even before cloud seeding was done.
— Tamil Nadu Weatherman (@praddy06) April 18, 2024
Ultimately, while climate change may exacerbate extreme weather events, attributing specific occurrences solely to it requires comprehensive analysis considering various contributing factors.
Have a look at some heart-wrenching videos here:
