The Arabian peninsula was hit by unprecedented rainfall and floods, shutting colleges and grounding flights on Wednesday, with elements of the desert nation United Arab Emirates receiving 10 inches of rain in 24 hours.

In Oman, not less than 18 individuals have died in current days due to the extreme climate, the nation’s Nationwide Committee for Emergency Administration stated.

The storms swamped roadways and created harmful situations throughout the area, a usually arid a part of the world that’s unaccustomed to intense rain and flash flooding.

Dubai’s airport suggested passengers early Wednesday to not journey to the airport until “completely mandatory.” Main airline Emirates stated in a post on X it was suspending check-in for all passengers at Dubai till midnight Wednesday (3 p.m. ET).

The Nationwide Heart of Meteorology in Abu Dhabi stated the rain within the UAE surpassed something since data started in 1949, when the world was nonetheless a British protectorate and earlier than the invention of oil.

The Khatm Al Shakla space outdoors town of Al Ain, close to the border with Oman, acquired 10 inches of rain in lower than 24 hours.

The meteorology heart known as it “an distinctive occasion within the UAE’s local weather historical past for the reason that begin of recording local weather knowledge, and it’s anticipated that the approaching hours will witness the recording of bigger quantities of rainfall.”