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Dubai Drenched: Record Rains Flood Streets
18 Dec
Summary
- Dubai police advised residents to stay indoors due to heavy rainfall.
- Unstable weather conditions are expected across the UAE from Thursday to Friday.
- Fossil fuel emissions likely exacerbated last year's record UAE rains.
Dubai authorities issued a public safety warning on December 18, 2025, urging residents to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary due to anticipated heavy rainfall. The alert came as the desert nation experienced significant downpours, causing flooding in several streets. The National Center of Meteorology predicted unstable weather conditions across the UAE throughout Thursday and Friday, including the capital, Abu Dhabi.
Similar heavy rain affected other Gulf states on Thursday. In Qatar, an Arab Cup match was cancelled due to the deluge. Last spring, the UAE experienced record-breaking rainfall in April, which overwhelmed storm drains, flooded homes, and transformed streets into rivers. This event, the heaviest since records began 76 years prior, disrupted operations at Dubai's international airport and tragically resulted in at least four fatalities.
Research by the World Weather Attribution group indicates that global warming, primarily caused by fossil fuel emissions, most likely intensified these extreme rain events in the UAE and Oman. The study highlights the growing impact of climate change on weather patterns in the region.
