Dubai Drenched: Artificial Rain Meets Climate Change

Dubai experiences a historic 24-hour deluge, transforming into a water world. Unprecedented rainfall, flooding major roads and landmarks. Blurred lines between natural and manmade factors, including cloud seeding and climate change implications.

Dubai, the desert metropolis known for its towering skyscrapers and ultra-modern architecture, has been transformed into a water world over the past 24 hours. An unprecedented 25 cm (10 inches) of rain fell, nearly matching the city's typical two-year rainfall in just one day.

This historic deluge, the heaviest Dubai has seen in 75 years, has caused widespread flooding, submerging major roads, stranding vehicles, and even inundating glitzy shopping malls like Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates. Striking images circulated on social media show the Dubai Metro station engulfed in ankle-deep waters, while lightning from the intense storms could be seen hitting the spire of the iconic Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.

So what caused this highly unusual downpour in one of the world's driest cities? Meteorologists point to a confluence of factors, both natural and manmade.

The rains are linked to a larger storm system moving through the Arabian Peninsula and across the Gulf of Oman, bringing wet weather as far as Oman and south-eastern Iran. The UAE's National Center of Meteorology deployed cloud seeding planes from Al Ain airport on Monday and Tuesday in an attempt to enhance rainfall from the convective cloud formations.

Cloud seeding, a controversial weather modification technique, involves releasing substances like silver iodide into clouds to expedite the formation of raindrops. The UAE has had an active cloud seeding program for many years to bolster its scarce natural rainfall.

However, many experts argue these heavy rains were likely turbocharged by climate change. "It is highly likely that the deadly and destructive rain in Oman and Dubai was made heavier by human-caused climate change," said climatologist Friederike Otto.

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Climate scientist Colin McCarthy attributes the thunderstorms to the warm waters of the Persian Gulf, which provided ample moisture and instability to generate intense rainfall rates over Dubai.

This unusual weather event underscores the complexities at play as the effects of meteorological cloud seeding intersect with the escalating impacts of global warming. As the world continues to heat up, even desert cities like Dubai may have to brace for more extreme deluges, blurring the line between artificial and natural rainfall.