ABU DHABI – A thunderstorm brought heavy rain to parts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday, disrupting flights, flooding roads and forcing authorities to close schools the next day in the desert nation.
Water poured through ceilings and whipped through streets in Dubai, UAE’s commercial capital. In Abu Dhabi, the hard rains forced the capital’s stock market to halt trading and close for the day.
According to The National – a newspaper of Abu Dhabi – all schools across the seven-emirate federation will be closed on Thursday, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported.
The rain temporarily halted flights at Abu Dhabi International Airport, the home of Etihad. The rain also delayed some flights at Dubai International Airport, the home of long-haul carrier Emirates.
UAE’s National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology had warned that heavy rains were possible Wednesday. It said the unstable weather likely will continue into Thursday.
