'Taught us a lesson': UAE residents take weather alerts more seriously after 2024 floods

When Mohammed Ashraf drove out of his community along the Al Qudra corridor on Saturday, the water drainage shutters were open and extra personnel were on ground, scanning the area in anticipation for unstable weather this week. 

“Our community was one of those that was really badly hit during the April 2024 floods,” he said. “Since then, authorities have really stepped up the way they handle weather-related issues. All forecasts are taken seriously; more people are put on duty even before an issue arises. The last time it rained, sewage trucks were on site within two hours to clear out water. It is better to be safe than sorry.”

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An increasing number of people have begun taking weather warnings in the UAE seriously since the April 2024 floods, which affected large parts of the country. While some took precautions for important events, others shared that they check the weather forecast carefully before stepping out. 

According to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), UAE will experience unstable weather this entire week, with Sunday expected to be the wettest day. The NCM has issued an advisory, urging members of the public to follow guidelines. 

On Saturday, Dubai Police issued a public alert to mobile phones users, advising them to avoid beaches. A similar alert was sent out on Sunday to residents of Ras Al Khaimah as well. The message advised people to valleys, flashfloods, and low-lying areas.

Danger during floods 

Filipino expat Michelle (name changed to protect privacy) loves to explore the UAE with her friends during weekends. Until April 2024, she spent a lot of time rain chasing and heading to wadis to catch water falls in the country. “During the April 16 rains, I went out with three friends of mine and we headed out very early,” she said. “We left from our home in Deira and went to Dhaid,” she recalled. “But as soon as we reached there, we immediately understood that it was about to get bad very soon. It was the sky had absolutely opened up and water was pouring.”

The gang carefully drove their vehicle out of the low-lying areas. “Within minutes, there was a flash flood where we were,” she said. “During our drive back, there was an immense thunderstorm. For a while, we pulled up into a rest area, but the rain kept getting worse. So, we slowly drove back home. I will never forget that drive. All of us were so worried. It was like our lives flashed in front of eyes. We were incredibly lucky because we were able to reach home safely. But a lot of our friends were stuck in so many places and some of them lost their vehicles.”

She said that since then, the friends are very careful before going rain chasing and stay away from wadis when rain is predicted. “We always joke about that day, but we know we were very irresponsible,” she said. “Till today, we haven’t even told our families about what happened on that day but it really taught us a lesson.”

In April 2024, the UAE experienced the heaviest rainfall the country has ever seen, surpassing any recorded precipitation since data collection began in 1949. Over 250mm of rain fell in just 24 hours — more than the annual average in some regions.

Backup plans

Dubai resident Amaan Ahmed said that his company’s annual gathering is scheduled for Tuesday this week, but the organising committee has made backup plans. “Our event is scheduled to be held in the outdoor garden of a local hotel,” he said. “However, because heavy rain is forecasted for Tuesday, we have also reserved a meeting room inside the hotel in case the outdoor garden becomes too wet or it is still raining.”

He added that their company would not have taken such precautions prior to April 2024. “Until then, rain just meant a light drizzle or a few minutes of heavy rain at best,” he said. “Since the floods, we all like to be prepared for the worst.”

UAE weather expert Mohammed Sajjad, who runs the popular social media account @uaeweatherman, said he gets asked by his followers whether a rain incident will be ‘like April 2024’ very often. “Any time I post about widespread rain in the emirate or chance of unstable weather, I get several messages asking if it will be like a repeat of April 2024,” he said. “However, I always reply that the April floods were a once-in-a-lifetime, rare occurrence and hopefully, something like that will never happen again.”