The United Arab Emirates experienced unprecedented weather conditions with extreme rainfall, causing widespread flooding across the country.

As per NCM, the country’s meteorological department, the UAE received 6.04 billion cubic metres of rain last week, which is surprisingly close to the 6.7 billion cubic metres, the Middle Eastern nation receives in an entire year. It was the most extreme weather event, the country has experienced in the past 75 years

As the flooding caused chaos across all seven Emirates, the country announced several relief measures for the residents. Schools and offices, including both public and private opted for distance learning and working.

شكراً لكل من عمل ويعمل من أجل دبي
بجهودكم وتفانيكم ستبقى دبي الأجمل

A special thank you to all who have contributed to our city. With your efforts, Dubai will remain a beautiful place to be pic.twitter.com/FvlADK5pzX — Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) April 21, 2024

After the torrential rainfall from Tuesday, April 16, through Wednesday, April 17, passed, the American space agency NASA released some photos of areas that were flooded in the United Arab Emirates.

On April 19, the Landsat 9 satellite, operated by NASA and the United States Geological Survey passed over the UAE, and captured images of lingering floodwaters.

These before and after images of the historic downpours were reportedly captured by the Landsat 9 satellite from space. Take a look:

NASA’s Earth Observatory has released before-and-after images of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, displaying areas inundated by floods following significant rainfall and storms that struck the UAE on Tuesday. #UAE #Dubai #AbuDhabi #NASA #EarthObservatory #Floods pic.twitter.com/HS9NIiByiZ — Tarek Nizameddin (@Tarek973) April 21, 2024

The deep blue hues, highlighted in false colour emphasise the presence of floodwater and reveal the extent of the flooding.

One picture shows flooding in Jabel Ali, a town located 35 kilometres southwest of Dubai. Another picture shows flooded areas in Abu Dhabi, including Sheikh Zayed Road.

The torrential rain also brought deadly flooding to Oman.

Flood in Oman are worse than in Dubai.
pic.twitter.com/BHnP0WMigS — Javeria Sultan (@javeria_sultan1) April 17, 2024

Experts suggested that cloud seeding, aka artificial rain, contributed to a part of the downpour's intensity. It is a technique utilized by the Gulf countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman to help against water scarcity and drought.