A woman covers her shoes with plastic bags as she walks under the rain in Dubai.
The country's annual rainfall stands at 78 millimetres (three inches), more than 15 times less than the amount for an average year in Britain.
Social media user expressed mixed feelings about the unusual weather. \"Not #london or #dublin, this is Dubai today after heavy rain!\" wrote Andrea Colonnelli on Twitter posting a video of cars wading through a flooded street.
But the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology said some 240 millimetres of rainfall was recorded Wednesday near Al-Ain.
The weather agency in the UAE, which ranks among the world's 10 driest countries, said more rain is expected on Thursday.
Images posted on social media showed vehicles half-submerged in flooded streets in Abu Dhabi and gusty winds lashing through palm trees lining the city's streets.
Others showed shades and construction barriers that had collapsed on cars. In Dubai, police registered more than 250 road accidents by midday, local media reported.
Flights at Abu Dhabi airport resumed on Wednesday afternoon after being suspended for several hours, and Dubai International also experienced delays, aviation authorities said.
The rains disrupted the Abu Dhabi Air Expo held at the capital's Al-Bateen airport.
Schools were ordered shut, flights suspended and the stock market was closed down in the United Arab Emirates as rare heavy rain hit the desert Gulf state on Thursday.
Water poured through ceilings and whipped through streets in Dubai.