Satellite image of the United Arab Emirates before the storms, recorded on April 3, 2024, by the Operational Land Imager 2 on Landsat 9. Satellite picture of the United Arab Emirates after the storms, captured on April 19, 2024, by the Operational Land Imager 2 on Landsat 9. An effective storm system battered major cities in the Arabian Peninsula. This slow-moving storm system brought extraordinary rainfall to the UAE, causing prevalent flooding, interfering with transportation, and frustrating locations like Dubai and Abu Dhabi with water levels far above annual averages.A slow-moving storm system pounded the United Arab Emirates and dropped more than a years worth of rain on some cities in April 2024. Heavy rain activated flash flooding across eastern parts of the country, swamping roads and interfering with transportation.The system initially hit Oman on April 14 and continued to batter the UAE through most of the day on April 16. Michael Mann, a climate scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Associated Press that three low-pressure systems formed a train of storms gradually moving along the jet stream– the river of air that moves weather systems– towards the Persian Gulf. The strong low-pressure system provided numerous rounds of high winds and heavy rain to the eastern and northern parts of the country.Some locations remained flooded on April 19, when Landsat 9 passed over the area for the very first time because the storms. The image above (lower), obtained that day with the satellites OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager 2), shows flooding in Jebel Ali, a town 35 kilometers (22 miles) southwest of Dubai. The image is false color (bands 6-5-3) to highlight the presence of water, which appears blue. Flooding can be seen in the commercial location of Jebel Ali just south of the port and near the green resorts and parks south of Palm Jebel Ali.Landsat 9 pictures of Abu Dhabi captured on April 3 and April 19, 2024, show the city and surrounding area before and after the storm.Parts of Abu Dhabi, the UAEs capital city, were also swamped by the storms. The Landsat 9 images above show the city and surrounding area on April 3 (left) and April 19 (right), before and after the storms. On April 19, water can be seen covering the Sheikh Zayed Road, a major road that runs through Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Patches of flooded locations are also visible in Khalifa City and Zayed City, property areas southeast of Abu Dhabis downtown.The UAEs National Center for Meteorology reported that eastern parts of the nation measured up to 250 millimeters (10 inches) of rain in less than 24 hours. UAE, known for its dry desert environment, receives only about 140 to 200 millimeters (5.5 to 8 inches) of rainfall per year.Dubai International Airport (northeast of these images) taped 119 millimeters on April 16, which is 1.5 times its typical yearly rains. The deluge temporarily stopped flights at the airport, which is among the worlds busiest for worldwide travel.As of April 18, a few of the UAE was working to recuperate from the flooding, according to report. Dubais global airport was apparently still experiencing delays.NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, utilizing Landsat information from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Heavy rain triggered flash flooding across eastern parts of the country, flooding roads and interfering with transportation.The system first struck Oman on April 14 and continued to batter the UAE through many of the day on April 16. Flooding can be seen in the industrial location of Jebel Ali simply south of the port and near the green resorts and parks south of Palm Jebel Ali.Landsat 9 images of Abu Dhabi captured on April 3 and April 19, 2024, reveal the city and surrounding area before and after the storm.Parts of Abu Dhabi, the UAEs capital city, were likewise flooded by the storms. The Landsat 9 images above reveal the city and surrounding location on April 3 (left) and April 19 (right), before and after the storms.