Dubai. Heavy thunderstorms lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, dumping the heaviest rain ever recorded in the country in the span of hours as it flooded out portions of major highways and Dubai’s international airport. Meanwhile, Indonesian celebrity couple Dimas Seto and Dhini Aminarti shared their experience of being stranded at the airport for eight hours on their trip to Dubai.

The state-run WAM news agency called the rain “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949.” That’s before the discovery of crude oil in this energy-rich nation then part of a British protectorate known as the Trucial States.

The rains began late Monday, soaking the sands and roadways of Dubai with some 20 millimeters (0.79 inches) of rain, according to meteorological data collected at Dubai International Airport. The storms intensified around 9 a.m. local Tuesday and continued throughout the day, dumping more rain and hail onto the overwhelmed city.

By the end of Tuesday, more than 142 millimeters (5.59 inches) of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours. An average year sees 94.7 millimeters (3.73 inches) of rain at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel and a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates.

At the airport, standing water lapped on taxiways as aircraft landed. The airport ended up halting arrivals Tuesday night and passengers struggled to reach terminals through the floodwater covering surrounding roads.

Indonesian celebrity couple Dimas Seto and Dhini Aminarti experienced an 8-hour flight delay on their trip to Dubai.

"The departure was initially scheduled for [Wednesday] 5:40 p.m. local time, then postponed to 9:00 p.m. Subsequently, it was delayed until 10:00 p.m. and finally departed at 1:00 a.m. early morning," Dimas Seto said on his Instagram account, Thursday.

"We're flying with Emirates and experiencing such a long delay," he said.

Dimas Seto and his wife requested prayers for their safe arrival.

"Pray for a safe journey and the 16-hour flight ahead. God willing," he added.

"Hopefully everything goes smoothly and the flooding in Dubai subsides quickly," he concluded.

Singer-songwriter Anang Hermansyah and his family are also stranded due to the floods. His wife, Ashanty, expressed their desire to return to Indonesia soon. "We really want to go home," said Ashanty on Thursday.

Ashanty mentioned that they could not move anywhere as almost all areas in Dubai were affected by the flood disaster.

Due to the impact of the flood disaster, their flights were canceled. Ashanty and her family resigned themselves to the disaster happening in Dubai. "We don't know when we can go home. Because all flights are canceled. Even the airport is flooded," she explained.

Dubai International Airport acknowledged Wednesday morning that the flooding had left “limited transportation options” and affected flights as aircraft crews couldn’t reach the airfield.

“Recovery will take some time,” the airport said on the social platform X. “We thank you for your patience and understanding while we work through these challenges.”

Police and emergency personnel drove slowly through the flooded streets of Dubai. Lightning flashed Tuesday across the sky, occasionally touching the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. The city’s driverless Metro saw disruptions and flooded stations as well.

Schools across the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, largely shut ahead of the storm, and government employees were largely working remotely if able. Many workers stayed home as well, though some ventured out, with the unfortunate stalling out their vehicles in deeper-than-expected water covering some roads.

Authorities sent tanker trucks out into the streets and highways to pump away the water. Water poured into some homes, forcing people to bail out their houses.

The country’s hereditary rulers offered no overall damage information or injury information for the nation, as some slept into their flooded vehicles Tuesday night. In Ras al-Khaimah, the country’s northernmost emirate, police said one 70-year-old man died when his vehicle was swept away by floodwater.

Fujairah, an emirate on the UAE’s eastern coast, saw the heaviest rainfall Tuesday with 145 millimeters (5.7 inches) falling there.

Authorities canceled school and the government instituted remote work again for Wednesday.

Rain is unusual in the UAE, an arid, Arabian Peninsula nation, but occurs periodically during the cooler winter months. Many roads and other areas lack drainage given the lack of regular rainfall, causing flooding.

Rain also fell in Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

In neighboring Oman, a sultanate that rests on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, at least 18 people had been killed in heavy rains in recent days, according to a statement Tuesday from the country’s National Committee for Emergency Management. That includes some 10 schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle with an adult, which saw condolences come into the country from rulers across the region.

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