Unprecedented heavy rainfall inundated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week, causing life in Dubai and many other areas in the region to come to a standstill.
The flooding following the “great deluge” in Dubai was so intense that satellites could observe it from space days after the clouds dissipated and the last raindrops fell, CNN reported on April 22.
Landsat 9 satellite (co-owned by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey) flew over the UAE on April 19—less than two days after the rain subsided—to capture images of large puddles that had formed everywhere.
Jebel Ali area, southern outskirts of Dubai, before and after the historic flood. (Photo: NASA).
According to satellite observations, the water appears dark blue, clearly contrasting with the dry land of the area, which is light brown or dark brown. In the images, floodwaters are visible in the southernmost part of Dubai, while the highly urbanized center of the city was not recorded.
The photos taken with Landsat 9’s artificial color enhancement aim to highlight the presence of water against the dry ground. Thus, the displayed colors do not accurately reflect what is seen from space, but they help viewers easily identify the differences before and after the flood.
The satellite also captured intense flooding in Abu Dhabi (the capital of the UAE). Shallow water areas appear light blue, while larger, deeper bodies of water appear dark blue.
Satellite images before and after the historic rainfall in Abu Dhabi. (Photo: NASA).
Much of the dry brown land also showed light blue after the rain. This indicates that the ground in many areas retained moisture from the rain, even if it was not completely submerged.
The UAE news agency WAM referred to the rainfall on April 16 as “a historic weather event”, surpassing “any record since data was collected in 1949.”
According to the UAE National Center of Meteorology, 254 mm of rain was recorded in less than 24 hours in the city of Al Ain, part of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which borders Oman. At Dubai International Airport on April 16, nearly 100 mm of rain was recorded in just 12 hours, equivalent to two years’ worth of rainfall for the city.
Such unusual heavy rains are expected to become more frequent due to human-induced climate change. As the atmosphere continues to warm, it can absorb more moisture like a sponge, which then is released as more extreme downpours.
