Some areas recorded more than 10 inches of rain in less than 24 hours, the state’s media office said in a statement Wednesday — the most since record-keeping began in 1949.
At Dubai International Airport on Tuesday, nearly 4 inches of rain fell over the course of a 12-hour period on Tuesday, or roughly what Dubai usually records in an entire year.
Videos posted to social media showed planes moving through several feet of water on the tarmac.
Others showed sinkholes swallowing up cars, water rushing through a mall and someone navigating the floodwaters using a jetski.
Meanwhile, photographers captured dramatic images of cars submerged in floodwaters.
The deluge was also deadly. A 70-year-old man died after flooding swept away his vehicle in Ras Al-Khaimah, police said, and at least 18 people were killed in nearby Oman.
Extreme rainfall events are becoming more and more common due to climate change, which has increased the amount of moisture in the atmosphere, helping intensify the downpours.
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