Dubai... a city nestled in the desert, always dazzling visitors with its glamour suddenly found itself amidst a deluge on April 16, 2024. The rain showed no sign of stopping; lightnings scorched the darkened skies, followed by an immediate flash flood.
Airports, metro stations, malls, streets, and businesses were inundated. Schools shuttered. Social media is bursting with harrowing images and videos of the catastrophe. Dubai International Airport recorded 160 millimeters of rainfall in the last 24 hours - an amount typically seen over two years, marking a dire natural disaster.
Source: aajtak
Scientists believe this could be due to cloud seeding, or artificial rain. Dubai authorities conducted cloud seeding operations on Monday and Tuesday, which now seems to have backfired. It appears to have been a careless attempt to manipulate the weather.
The Gulf State National Center of Meteorology reports that aircrafts intended for cloud seeding took off from Al Ain Airport on the 15th and 16th, flying seven missions in two days. It's thought cloud seeding has gone wrong and now Dubai pays the price. However, surrounding nations are also experiencing similar scenes, raising questions.
Source: aajtak
Dubai and neighboring countries are experiencing a sluggish Southern Jet Stream that carries warmth and is accompanied by dust storms from the sea, which act as natural cloud seeders. Hence, the mishap may be due to excessive dust particles, leading to this disaster. With global temperatures on the rise, such events are becoming common, with Dubai likely to face them more frequently. This rainstorm has broken a 75-year record.
Due to chronic water shortages, Dubai opted for cloud seeding. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) first tried cloud seeding in 1982.
Source: aajtak
The UAE's Rain Enhancement Program is overseen by their meteorological department, which performs thorough physical and chemical analysis of the atmosphere, focusing on aerosols and pollutants before commencing cloud formation.
