Dubai hit by heavy rain again, flights hit, Abu Dhabi waterlogged

Flights and bus services in Dubai were hit as parts of Abu Dhabi and Dubai witnessed waterlogging due to heavy rain, accompanied with lightning and thunderstorms on Thursday.

Abandoned vehicles stand in floodwater caused by heavy rain along Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Credits: AP)

Days after the United Arab Emirates witnessed severe flooding in April, heavy rain and thunderstorms hit Abu Dhabi and Dubai early on Thursday, leading to flight cancellations and suspension of bus services in Dubai.

According to Khaleej Times, five inbound flights to Dubai were diverted overnight, while nine arrivals and four outbound flights were cancelled. Several flights by the Emirates were also cancelled, the report said.

Local media reports said Dubai residents woke up to strong winds, thunder and lightning at around 3 am on Thursday.

Nearly an hour later, at nearly 4 am, the country's weather department issued an amber alert indicating that rain-bearing clouds had covered most parts of the country. Adverse weather conditions were expected to prevail over the country until May 3.

It also advised residents to follow safety measures during rainy conditions.

Waterlogging was reported on the streets in some parts of Abu Dhabi, while strong winds were reported in Jebel Ali, Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Investments Park, and Jumeirah Village Triangle, the local media reported.

In a post on X, IndiGo said that flight operations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah were impacted due to "adverse weather conditions".

"6ETravelAdvisory: Due to adverse weather conditions in #Dubai Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, our flight operations are impacted. Please keep a track of your flight status at http://bit.ly/2EjJGGT before leaving for the airport," the airline tweeted.

On Wednesday, Dubai Airports and two local airlines issued advisories for passengers, asking them to gear up for delays when going to Dubai International Airport.

According to a report with Khaleej Times, the UAE had issued an alert for medium to heavy rains for two days, until Thursday, encouraging work from home for office goers and distance learning for schools in Sharjah and Dubai.

At least three people were reported dead and normal life was crippled as a result of a record storm that hit the desert city of Dubai in April this year, leading to the suspension of flights and a halt to other transit operations.

The UAE, a hereditarily ruled, autocratic nation on the Arabian Peninsula, typically sees little rainfall in its arid desert climate.

However, a massive storm forecasters had been warning about for days blew through the country’s seven sheikhdoms.

The Dubai International Airport had struggled to return to normal operations after the storm flooded taxiways, forcing flight diversions, delays and cancellations.

However, flights returned to their normal schedule from the airport's Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 on Saturday, reports claimed.

As an impact of flooding for days, roads between Dubai and Abu Dhabi were still partially underwater as of Saturday.

In Abu Dhabi, some supermarkets and restaurants faced product shortages, unable to receive deliveries from Dubai, news agency Reuters reported.

Researchers have linked extreme weather events such as Tuesday's storm to climate change and anticipate that global warming will lead to higher temperatures, increased humidity and a greater risk of flooding in parts of the Gulf region.

A lack of drainage infrastructure to cope with heavy rains in countries such as the UAE can put them at particular risk of flooding.