Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has received 141.8 mm of rain in three days. The UAE in 2022 awoke to strong winds and downpours flooding the country in the early hours of Saturday, New Year’s Eve.
An official from the National Centre of Meteorology said that since Thursday, the highest rainfall of 141.8 mm has been recorded in Saih Al Salam region in Dubai, which includes Al Qudra Lakes and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
Regions in Al Ain witnessed 68 to 70 mm of rain and Ras Al Khaimah saw 64.4 mm of rain since the stormy weather situation began three days ago.
According to the UAE’s weather forecaster, nearly 18 months of rain fell in the UAE in just three days. The UAE records an average of 100 mm of precipitation every year.
Rain was increased by cloud seeding, a technique used by the authorities to increase the amount of rain that is usually scanty and scarce.
“I don’t think we’ve seen rain like this since 2019,” Dr Abdulla Al Bahri, a forecaster at the NCM, told Dubai Eye radio station on Monday. “It’s natural and some of it is [because of] cloud seeding.”
Major entertainment venues were closed as the UAE received record-breaking rainfall. The firework shows that were to be hosted across the city on January 2, to celebrate the Dubai Shopping Festival have been cancelled due to unstable weather conditions.
Dubai’s Global Village had announced that it would remain closed on Sunday due to the current weather conditions.
The National Centre of Meteorology has issued a warning and said more stormy weather was expected in the days to come.
According to the national Met department (NCM), the weather in UAE will continue to be cool and cloudy with rain in parts of the country on Monday.
In October 2021, parts of the UAE were hit by Cyclone Shaheen, which was accompanied by winds of up 110 kilometres an hour after it made landfall in Oman.
In January 2020, the UAE also experienced a bout of heavy rain, which swept the region.
