PHOTOS: Dubai gets drenched

Schools were ordered shut, flights suspended and the stock market was closed down in the United Arab Emirates as rare heavy rain hit the desert Gulf state.

IMAGE: People push a car through a flooded street during a rain storm in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Photograph: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters

Heavy rain also greeted Dubai and Sharjah residents, delaying many employees from reaching their offices on time, while schools in Dubai asked parents to pick up their children early. Floods caused traffic congestion on the main roads and most streets.

Operations at Abu Dhabi International Airport were affected for a few hours. However, airports eventually reopened and operations resumed.

IMAGE: Cars remain stranded outside a hotel after rains lashed the Gulf state, leaving roads waterlogged. Photograph: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters

The weather agency in the UAE, which ranks among the world’s 10 driest countries, warned of more inclement weather in the next two days, forcing schools to declare a holiday on Thursday too.

Many UAE residents were active on social media giving their comments. One user identified as Jake Celocia sent pictures of himself stuck in traffic. He said: “Stuck in traffic for three hours, gall bladder about to burst.”

IMAGE: Cars drives through a flooded street during a rain storm in Dubai. Photograph: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters

Another wrote, “Not #London or #Dublin, this is Dubai today after heavy rain!”

IMAGE: Cars submerged in water as the rains wreak havoc in Dubai. Photograph: Ajay Jha/Facebook

Another video posted on the micro-blogging site showed a man kayaking through a flooded residential area.

IMAGE: Many people left their cars on the roads and started to walk as traffic was disrupted owing to the rains. Photograph: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters

IMAGE: People wait inside a store as the rains continue to lash Dubai. Photograph: Reuters

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