Dubai Floods: Timelapse Video Shows How Storm Intensified With Every Passing Hour

Heavy thunderstorms battered the United Arab Emirates this week, accompanied by an unexpected amount of showers in Dubai in a matter of hours. Rainfall began earlier this week on April 16, storms intensified the following morning and lasted throughout the day. It affected key roadways and disrupted planes, among other infrastructure. Homes were flooded, and the locals struggled to deal with the situation. Following the disaster, a number of videos and pictures have been circulated on social media, giving the world an account of the damage. Recently, a person shared a timelapse video showing how the massive storm unfolded, and the clip has gone viral in no time.

An X user shared the steadily shot timelapse video with the caption, “Dubai: Timelapse of the massive storm that caused a historic flood.” The clip shows how the clear sky turns hazy with dark clouds and eventually the rainstorm intensifies, making the visibility nil. The intensity of the storm could be measured well as towards the end of the clip, the heavy showers hit the camera lens and the footage becomes blurry.

Since being shared, the video has received over 3.8 million views and several comments. Several people were shocked to see the impact a natural disaster can have on how man is helpless to control it. One user said, “This looks like a natural disaster. Man really is insignificant in the face of nature,” while another stated, “Wow, Mother Nature sure knows how to make a grand entrance in Dubai! Nature’s power is truly awe-inspiring.”

Many pointed out that this was a result of the cloud seeding process. “This is what happens when you try to play god,” stated an user.

Netizens also blamed the flooding on the lack of a proper sewage system in Dubai. An individual mentioned, “Looks like they have no drains there hence all the water collects on asphalt and concrete roads and becomes an artificial lake. If they had a good way to harvest all that precious water it would have been so good.” One the other hand a person joked, “Dubai becomes Mumbai… eventually….but never vice versa… expensive holiday for Indian Tourists should have waited for a few months for a Mumbai visit.”

One user shared a personal experience as well saying, “Have stayed in Dubai for many years in Bur Dubai. Never experienced such a cloudburst as we had seen in Mumbai. This was exceptional. In Fujairah we had a stormy situation. The actual cloudburst came only a year or two back. Entire emirate was flooded. Cars were floating on water.”