A freak storm has hit the United Arab Emirates, leaving streets completely flooded and civilians warned to stay inside as flights are cancelled and roads disappear under water. 

Airport authorities across the UAE scrapped and delayed dozens of flights on Friday as the heaviest rainstorm in months battered the desert nation, flooding streets and bringing parts of daily life to a halt. 

Overnight downpours triggered lightning and loud thunder that jolted residents awake, while major roads in Dubai and Sharjah were left submerged.

Emirates airline cancelled 13 flights on Friday, while neighbouring Sharjah Airport also reported delays and cancellations as rain continued to fall through the morning.

Sharjah’s main street was completely flooded early on Friday, with residents wading through water barefoot. 

One man was seen cycling through the floodwater, which reached the top of his wheels.

Drivers were photographed attempting to navigate the floods, with their cars fully submerged in the water, while pedestrians were also spotted crossing roads, many knee-deep in the overflow. 

The scenes echoed the devastation seen in April 2024, when freak record-breaking rainfall overwhelmed drainage systems. 

Many roads have been completely submerged in floodwater as civilians are warned to stay inside during the freak storm 

A man is seen braving the floods after authorities warned civilians to stay inside 

A man standing in floodwater to clear a blocked drain. The weather conditions has led to the cancellation of several flights in the country

Homes and highways were also left flooded, and Dubai International Airport was forced to cancel more than 2,000 flights.  

That storm brought the city to a standstill for days and exposed the UAE’s vulnerability to extreme weather.

Ahead of the latest storm, Dubai Police urged residents to remain indoors unless ‘absolutely necessary’ as conditions deteriorated. 

By early Friday, water-pumping trucks were deployed across Dubai to clear blocked roads and deep pools of standing water.

Dubai Airports confirmed widespread disruption, with its website showing dozens of delayed flights and several cancellations throughout the day. 

‘Some flights… are cancelled or delayed due to adverse weather,’ a Dubai Airports spokesperson said.

The National Centre of Meteorology warned of rainfall across the country from Thursday into Friday, affecting Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other emirates. 

The severe weather extended across the Gulf region, with Qatar also hit by heavy rain, forcing the cancellation of the Arab Cup third-place play-off between Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Thursday.

Dubai police urged people to ‘prioritise’ their safety and warned against going to the beach, valleys, and taking part in sailing activities. The Hatta Festival, a month-long celebration in Dubai, was also closed to the public. 

The heavy downpour has negatively impacted daily life and brought communities to a standstill

Several people, knee deep in the overflow, attempt to cross the street, after the heavy rainfall

Police in Abu Dhabi has said efforts to clear roads in order to avoid accidents are being escalated

A vehicle wades through the floodwater with the Burj Khalifa in the background

Police in Abu Dhabi also said they were escalating efforts to address the flooding on roads in the capital to avoid accidents.

After flights were cancelled, Emirates Airlines told customers: ‘Adverse weather in the UAE and surrounding region on 18 and 19 December has impacted Emirates operations, with some flights being cancelled, delayed and retimed.’

Bus services to some destinations across the country were also suspended. 

Ahead of the floods, Dubai’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, posted on Instagram telling the public to ‘be ready’.

Last year’s freak storms in the UAE, the heaviest rainfall recorded in at least 76 years, killed at least four people and caused widespread destruction to infrastructure, homes, and transport networks. 

While the floods at the time were initially blamed on cloud seeding, which is the process of generating rain by implanting clouds with particles, experts argued that it was due to climate change. 

A study by the World Weather Attribution group later found that fossil fuel emissions ‘most likely’ intensified the extreme rainfall that struck the UAE and neighbouring Oman in 2024.