Heavy rain, thunderstorms flood Qatar and UAE

In a rare occurrence, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were hit by heavy rains on Thursday, which flooded the streets, forcing many residents to seek shelter in hotels from the unusual summer deluge.  The country is experiencing heavy rains across the Emirates, with Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah being especially affected. As per report, due to severe downpours, non-essential employees working in rain-affected areas in the UAE have been allowed to work remotely for two days. The UAE Cabinet has directed all the federal departments to make arrangements, while the same notice has been issued to private sector establishments.

Vehicles on a highway were brought to a standstill by floodwater after nearly a day-long rainfall. Other videos showed rescuers evacuating people stranded in the flooded areas. Dawn report says that UAE’s disaster management authority was coordinating with more than 20 hotels to provide 827 units that could house more than 1,885 people who were displaced by flooding. According to the disaster management authority, at least 870 individuals were rescued in Sharjah and Fujairah and at least 3,897 in total had been provided shelters.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) held climate change responsible for the increased frequency of heavy rains in the Emirates. Extreme weather, sea level rise, and other climate change impacts are increasingly to blame. Due to La Nina events which push more warm water towards Asia due to strong trade winds, it changes the temperatures of surface waters and the state of the atmosphere, leading to severe weather conditions for several countries, such as Dubai is experiencing at present. Torrential rain over recent days caused major disruption across the northern Emirates, leading to waterlogged roads and closures, overflowing wadis and damage to homes. Doha, capital of Qatar was brought to a halt following heavy rains that submerged the streets of the city. Qatar is expected to host football world cup in November this year.