Wednesday began on a stormy note in Abu Dhabi, Oman, Dubai and a few adjoining areas in the Middle East.
A desert country, where rains give a rare appearance, was lashed by heavy showers on March 9. Not only did road traffic suffer a major setback, but several flights were also delayed across UAE.
Schools were forced to be closed on Wednesday, and will remain shut on Thursday as well across the seven-emirate federation. Not only this, but the stock market in Abu Dhabi also halted trading and remain closed.
12 second #video showing fierce winds over #abudhabi. #abudhabirain #UAEstorm #UAERains #dubaifloods @SkymetWeather pic.twitter.com/brtepG2PDV
— Chetan Saini (@chetansaini1991) March 9, 2016
As per National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology, around 240 mm rain was received near Al-Ain. Abu Dhabi Air Expo, which was supposed to be held at the Al-Bateen Airport, was also affected.
Social media portals were flooded with images of vehicles being submerged on the streets in Abu Dhabi. More than 250 road accidents were reported in Dubai by Wednesday afternoon, as per local media. Construction barriers had also collapsed on stranded vehicles.
Flooding in #AbuDhabi due to heavy rain. #abudhabirain #DubaiRains #UAERains #dubaifloods pic.twitter.com/hL6qNLLMds
— SkymetWeather (@SkymetWeather) March 9, 2016
Torrential rains have also wreaked havoc over Oman. While one person was killed on Wednesday due to being struck by lightning, two more have lost their lives after heavy showers continued to batter the country. Substantial property damage has also occurred across the nation. Electricity woes have caused major trouble in Oman.
While light rain is likely to continue over Dubai throughout Thursday, conditions are expected to improve drastically over Abu Dhabi. Rains will also give Oman a miss with cloudy sky conditions engulfing the nation.
Image Credit: Twitter.com
