Water poured through ceilings and whipped through streets in Dubai.
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.
A woman covers her shoes with plastic bags as she walks under the rain in Dubai.
Water poured through ceilings and whipped through streets in Dubai.
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