Travellers in Dubai are facing delays after the United Arab Emirates was hit by the heaviest rain ever recorded in the desert nation.
The deluge flooded Dubai International Airport, disrupting flights through the world’s busiest hub for international travel. The state-run WAM news agency called Tuesday’s rain “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949”.
The rain, which also fell in Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, began late on Monday, soaking the sands and roads of Dubai with some 0.8in (20mm) of rain, according to meteorological data collected at Dubai International Airport. The storms intensified at around 9am local time on Tuesday and continued throughout the day, dumping more rain and hail on the overwhelmed city.
By the end of Tuesday, more than 5.6in (142mm) of rain had soaked Dubai over 24 hours. An average year sees 3.7in (94.7mm) of rain at Dubai International Airport, a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates,…