NASA shows a before and after image of the Dubai floods

After severe rains last week, Dubai saw massive, persistent pools of floodwater. These photographs were taken by the Landsat 9 satellite and provided by the US space agency NASA.

Even though the rains had stopped three days earlier, many regions remained submerged as Landsat 9 flew over the area for the first time since the desert storm, according to the Earth Observatory.

The photo was taken in Jebel Ali, a town 35 km southwest of Dubai, during floods. In Jebel Ali, flooding is visible in the industrial sector immediately south of the port and in the vicinity of the verdant parks and resorts south of Palm Jebel Ali.

Image Source: Twitter

The capital city of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, was partially submerged in the satellite imagery. The Sheikh Zayed Road, a main highway that connects Dubai and Abu Dhabi, is covered with water in the photos taken on April 19, while the ones taken on April 3 reveal a cleaner picture. Residential neighbourhoods southeast of Abu Dhabi's city, Khalifa City and Zayed City, too have patches of flooded regions.

In contrast to the normally dry land in the area, which appears tan or light brown, the photographs provide a clear picture of the water, which is visible as pools of vivid blue.

Image Source: Twitter

After over 25 centimetres of rain—roughly double the UAE's annual average—fell in a single day, normal life in the Emirate was upended. Malls flooded, roads became swamped, and air travel was affected. The desert region's meteorological system failed to prepare for the heaviest rain since 1949, despite warnings from Dubai's Met office.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) described the rains as "an exceptional event in the UAE's climate history since the start of recording climate data" after the Emirate saw record-breaking rains over the last two days.

After Monday's rains overflowed the streets, government workers were compelled to work from home and schools were closed.

Rainstorms flooded taxiways, making it difficult for travellers to get to terminals since adjacent roads were covered in floodwater. Airports saw mayhem.

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