When UAE weather was not in the mood for love on Valentine Day 43 years ago
It was Valentine's Day, 43 years earlier, but the weather was not feeling amorous as it rained constantly for 2 days and the unrelenting rainstorm drenched almost the entire length of the UAE.
On February 14, 1982, Abu Dhabi recorded 54mm of rain in 24 hours. In the same period, Dubai experienced 65.7 mm of rain, while Sharjah had 50 mm of rainfall. Ras Al Khaimah taped 42mm, and it was wettest in Fujairah that saw 94mm of rain since the previous day.
The Dubai Meteorological Office said the unprecedented rainstorm was triggered by an active trough development moving south over the country, causing heavy rains throughout the UAE.
In Ras Al Khaimah, an earthen dam in Beeh valley collapsed and water from the overruning wadi gushed out to the west towards the sea, bring uprooted trees and rocks.
A dam under building and construction in Fujairah burst due to high pressure, while low lying locations were likewise affected due to an increase in the water level.
In Abu Dhabi, many of the primary roadways and roundabouts were flooded for the second successive day, causing rush hour jams. Many schools reported less than half participation of both instructors and students. The Education Ministry released unique buses to serve stranded students. The capital's traffic authorities reported nine road accidents but there were no casualties. The fire brigade, which was on round-the-clock responsibility, reported rescuing more than 100 vehicles from water-logged streets.
International travel, nevertheless, was not affected. Airports in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah reported regular movements of scheduled flights.
In Dubai, numerous low-lying locations were visited knee-deep water. Amongst the most afflicted residential locations were Satwa, Karama, and Al Ghusais. While adults were mostly inconvenienced by the circumstance, kids had a field day playing in the water.
Bur Dubai Police Station reported 40 mishaps during the rainy 2 days, where 15 locals were injured. On The Other Hand, Al Muraqqabat Police Station reported six mishaps in its jurisdiction, with 2 persons hurt.
A lot of shops stayed open however business was usually reported dull. Taxi motorists also found the two days rather bad for company, with many people without vehicles choosing to stay indoors.
Sharjah was maybe the worst-hit city in the nation with a number of its flooded roundabouts declared closed for drivers. The worst affected locations consisted of Rolla, port area, the Central Market, and the roundabout near the authorities head office. Cops reported 7 accidents without any major injuries.
Al Ain Police, meanwhile, declared Al Ain-Dubai roadway unpassable.
Meteorological sources at the Abu Dhabi International Airport stated the two-day downpour went beyond the quantity of rains recorded in 1976, which was 90.6 mm for the whole year.
On a positive note, officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries expressed optimism that the heavy rains helped raise the country's below ground water reserves.
Comments