UAE received more than a month's rain on November 25

Dubai - Rainwater entered numerous homes in residential areas.

The amount of rain we experienced on Sunday that resulted in waterlogging in many areas and suspension of classes on Monday, is double the monthly average of rainfall for the entire of month of November, a UAE meteorologist told Khaleej Times on Monday.
Citing the amount of rain at the Dubai International Airport (DXB) as an example, a weatherman at the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said: "The mean monthly average of rainfall in the area for the entire month of November from 1977 to 2017 was just 4.4mm but on Sunday, the international airport received 8.2mm of rain."
It was, however, still a far cry from what the city experienced back in November 30, 2012, when Dubai International Airport alone received 42.2mm over a 24-hour period - which was almost 10 times than the mean monthly average, according to the NCM.
The highest rainfall recorded on Sunday was over the Shaha Valley in Ras Al Khaimah at 59.2mm, followed by Umm Al Quwain at 57mm. Jebel Jais received 44mm of rain while the Jumeirah area in Dubai got 37.2mm of rainfall and the surroundings of Burj Khalifa received 18.2mm of rain.
Among the airports affected by heavy showers, Sharjah International Airport was the dampest with 19.6mm; followed by RAK Airport with 15.5mm of rain; DXB 8.2mm; and Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali with 7.8mm.
While Abu Dhabi got only 1.4mm of rainfall, the entire emirate of Ras Al Khaimah recorded an average of 24.3mm of rain.
Residents trapped
Sharjah and Ajman were among those heavily drenched in the past two days. Traffic was stalled on Monday morning, brought about by flooded main streets and waterlogged arterial roads.
Rainwater entered numerous homes in residential areas such as Mysaloon, Al Nasriyah and Al Qadisya in Sharjah and Al Nuaimiya in Ajman.
Many residents were trapped inside their homes by the rising waters and had to call the police for help.
The police had to clear many entrances blocked by rainwater in various parts of the emirate and numerous cars had to risk murky waters. While some made it, a few sputtered and stalled, and had to be pushed aside to allow the traffic to flow.
Motorists commuting to Dubai spent a frustrating four to five hours on the road as the bumper-to-bumper traffic slowly inched forward.
Diversions only helped ease the traffic flow a little and a motorist said Amjad patrol of the Sharjah Police had to step in and tow away vehicles that had broken down on the roads.
Meanwhile, residents in Ras Al Khaimah reported that rivers and valleys have been filled with rainwater due to the heavy downpour on Sunday and Monday morning.
Abdullah Al Shamali, an Emirati citizen, said most of the roads in the emirate have been flooded.
Mohammed Saad, an Egyptian expat, said some roads were blocked with ponds of water. "Some cars were flooded with rain water and I was not able to send my kids to school," he said.
(With reports from Ahmed Shaaban)
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