Record rainfall has crippled cities in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, killing at least 19 people in Oman and forcing flights to be diverted from Dubai's airport.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), authorities tell all residents to stay at home after video shows a car submerged in water on a congested highway and a plane leaving waves on a flooded runway in Dubai. I called out. Flash floods in Oman's capital Muscat turned roads into raging rivers.
Experts said the extreme flooding was likely the result of regular rainy weather systems being made stronger by climate change.
The storm first hit Oman on Sunday, causing widespread flash flooding and forcing authorities to close schools and government offices.On Wednesday, the heavy rain appeared to have eased, but authorities said warned Residents should remain vigilant.
More than 230 mm (about 9 inches) of rain fell in some parts of Oman from Sunday to Wednesday. according to National Commission for National Emergency Management. Average annual rainfall in the capital Muscat is around 100 millimeters, but other parts of the country can receive much more.
By Wednesday morning, 19 deaths, including infants, had been confirmed by the Emergency Management Committee, and others were reported missing. According to the Associated Press, 10 of the dead were elementary school students who were swept away in cars with adults. Some schools in Oman remained closed on Wednesday, and some government employees were ordered to work from home.
The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday experienced its heaviest rainfall in 75 years, the government said. Said on social media. According to the country's National Meteorological Center, some areas received 254.8 millimeters (about 10 inches) of rain in less than a day.
Flights heading to Dubai International Airport were diverted and operations temporarily suspended due to the storm.
On Wednesday, officials said recommended to travelers Flights continue to be delayed and diverted, so it's best not to go to the airport. National carrier Emirates announced it would suspend check-in for passengers departing from the airport until midnight.
Some have speculated that recent cloud seeding efforts by the UAE (using chemicals to make clouds more likely to produce rain) may be to blame for the extreme weather, but scientists say He said the possibility of that happening was extremely low.
Stephen Seams, a cloud seeding expert at Australia's Monash University, said: “It is unlikely that increased rainfall would cause such an increase in rainfall,” adding that the impact of cloud seeding would be “marginal” at best. He added that it would be.
Australian National University climate scientist Janet Lindesay said the extreme weather appeared to be the result of relatively normal weather systems delivering rainfall, turbocharged by ocean and atmospheric warming. “Global warming is very likely influencing the intensity of this event,” she says.
Professor Lindese said the low pressure system moving over the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf of Oman interacted with part of the jet stream, a river of winds that moves from west to east across temperate latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in the rain. .
That in itself was not unusual. But rising air and sea temperatures likely accelerated ocean evaporation and increased moisture in the atmosphere, which led to larger and more intense rain deluges, she said.
“Rainfall events that produce moderate to light rainfall are decreasing in many parts of the world,” she said. “There will be more dry days, but the wetter days will be more intense.”