Heavy rains cause flooding at Dubai airport; flights cancelled and delayed

Heavy rains poured in Dubai resulting in the cancellation or diversion of many flights, on Saturday. 

A UAE government official while speaking to The National said that Dubai International Airport (DXB) was "experiencing operational disruptions" due to the bad weather.

"Flight delays are expected to continue throughout the day with some cancellations and diversions to Dubai World Central," he said, adding that the government was trying its best with service partners to ensure full operations were resumed.

As several commuters remained stranded on the airports, the government advised citizens to use the metro in Dubai to avoid traffic snarls.

"Unusually heavy rain has hit Dubai, with rainfall reaching 150 mm/hour for 2.5 hours, according to preliminary reports, resulting in water ponds in some areas of the emirate and traffic diversions," tweeted the Dubai Media Office.

Service and vehicle inspection centres, and driving institutes were shut in the city owing to the heavy rains. The National Centre of Meteorology warned citizens to be extremely vigilant and said rains could continue in the city for the next two days.