Watch: Heavy torrential rains pervade Gulf countries

Several Gulf countries and Iran are witnessing heavy floods and torrential rains due to an air depression affecting the region during the current period, which has caused casualties, and severely damaged roads and some residential buildings.

The Gulf region rarely sees rain during the sweltering summer months.

Severe torrential rains in the UAE

In the Emirates, videos published by local Emirati accounts showed the collapse of roads and shops in several cities, the most affected of which was the city of Kalba in Fujairah.

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The continuous rain since Wednesday, swept away cars, amid official warnings against crossing valleys and areas of rainwater flow.

Emirati activists on social media said that the torrent caused material damage, amid fears of continued rain.

Tweeters shared videos from airport street in Fujairah showing the road collapse and a number of cars damaged on its sides.

Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in the UAE as torrential rainfall hit the country’s northern region, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said in a statement.

Two days of heavy rain across the north and east of the country left 4,225 needed to be evacuated.

Twenty hotels were made ready to accommodate more than 1,885 people, the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) announced on Thursday. 

Road blockage in the Sultanate of Oman

Heavy rains continue to fall on the Sultanate of Oman, while a number of governorates witnessed torrential rains that cut off some roads.

The Civil Defense and Ambulance announced that “the authority’s teams continue their work in different areas as a result of the high level of rainwater, calling on everyone to take precautions and not to risk crossing valleys and places where water collects.”

The official Oman Meteorological account said, “The chances of heavy rain clouds forming sometimes continue, accompanied by active winds and a decrease in the level of horizontal visibility, with chances of wadis flowing.”

The wilayats of Shinas, Saham and Rustaq in the Al Batinah Governorate in the north of the country witnessed heavy rain at times and moderate at other times, affected by the weather conditions that pervaded the country.

Tweeters circulated videos and photos, which showed the flow of some valleys and roads being cut off, as a result of heavy rains, which led to a rise in the water level and the sinking of some residential neighbourhoods.

https://twitter.com/Mohad_Oman/status/1552271562497294336?t=xvA3tuplg6Ug254DNVpHqQ&s=19

Heavy rain in Doha

The same applies to the State of Qatar , which witnessed heavy rain in the capital, Doha, and scattered areas of the country, while the Meteorological Department warned earlier of expected thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds and high waves in some areas at sea.

Video clips showed a partial closure of the Doha Corniche after the road was filled with rainwater.

Video clips broadcast by activists on social media showed heavy rain and lightning in different parts of the country.

https://twitter.com/rheaanne01/status/1552539245209948160?t=lAiHySk3llst9oELWWVSOA&s=19

Saudi Arabia

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, regions, most notably Asir, have witnessed heavy rains, since Wednesday.

Kuwait

The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai said that the engineering affairs sector in the Ministry of Health has raised the state of alert in some areas that are likely to be exposed to some rain.

It pointed out that this comes within the framework of preparations to face any emergency, especially in light of the rains witnessed by some neighbouring countries, which is considered an exceptional weather event for this time of the year.

Bahrain

The Meteorological Department of the Bahraini Ministry of Transport and Communications stated that the weather expected in the Kingdom of Bahrain will be unstable, with a chance of rain that may be thunderstorms at times.

The Meteorological Department warned of thunderstorms and high-speed flashes.

Iran

Iran, the Red Crescent Society published pictures that it said were the work of rescue teams in the Imamzadeh Daoud area of ​​the capital, Tehran, in the north of the country, where 4 people were killed and 9 others injured due to landslides following heavy rains in the area.

Activists also broadcast videos showing the floods that hit Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, southeast of Iran.

A massive wave of floods hit a number of countries in the world, leaving hundreds dead and injured, and the torrential rains caused severe damage to facilities, roads and residential buildings.

Scientists have reported that climate change is exacerbating climate extremes, including drought in some areas and the possibility of storm surges and rain in others.

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