After the unprecedented floods of February 12 (37 mm), the northern United Arab Emirates are set to experience another exceptional downpour this Tuesday, April 16, but on a much larger scale. Various weather models are forecasting local rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm, almost double the region's annual rainfall.
Images of the flooding in the United Arab Emirates are currently making their way through the media. To put the figures into context: So far, the largest daily rainfall at Dubai International Airport was 90.5 mm, dating back to March 12, 1996, while the average annual rainfall is 93 mm. There were already heavy rainfall events on February 12 and 13 and on March 10 this year. In total, 268 mm of rain has already fallen in the desert state this year! In Basel it has been 204 mm so far this year, in Bern 228 mm and in Zurich 286 mm.
️Record rainfall in #Dubai with 162.8 mm of rain in 30 hours (142 mm/24 h) causing significant flooding in the city.
— Thierry Goose (@ThierryGooseBC) April 17, 2024
That's 2 YEARS of average rainfall!
Also 170 mm in Qumaira , 145 mm in Fujairah and 130 mm at Sharjah International Airport [next to Dubai] ! pic.twitter.com/sALnTxiZPV
After the unprecedented flooding of February 12 (37 mm), the northern United Arab Emirates are set to experience another exceptional downpour, concentrated mainly on Tuesday April 16. Various weather models are forecasting local rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm, almost double the region's annual rainfall.
In Dubai , it rains an average of 4 mm on just one day in April.
Fig. 1: Dubai Climate; Source: MeteoNews
For the rainstorm expected between Monday evening and Tuesday evening, maximum accumulations will locally exceed 100 mm in the Dubai region, with even exceptional hourly intensities (10 to 15 mm) for the area!
Fig. 2: Cumulative hours in Dubai on Tuesday; Source: MeteoNews
Although there is a margin of uncertainty in the precipitation forecast for thunderstorms, 5 of the most reputable meteorological models agree that this is an exceptional episode. According to average estimates, the cumulative rainfall in the space of 24 hours is equivalent to almost two years of precipitation in the region!
Fig. 3: Dubai 4-day forecast; Source: MeteoNews
You can follow the latest updates of the Dubai forecast here
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