Floods Across the Gulf Region

UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi and Bahrain have all suffered from unusually heavy rainfall since around Friday 15 November, resulting in severe flooding in some areas.

Forecasters for the region say that more is to come. Following almost a week of strong winds and heavy rain, a new weather system is likely to bring further heavy rain and unusually cold temperatures in some areas, most likely starting some time today, Wednesday 20 November and continuing until the weekend.

Saudi Arabia

Riyadh and other parts of Saudi Arabia, in particular the northeastern city of Arar, were some of the first areas in the Gulf region to be hit by floods. At least 4 people have died in floods in the country, and as many as 10 are missing.

Oman

In Oman, one person was killed after he was swept away on a tide of flood water in an area near Muscat. Heavy rainfall had led to some severe flooding in the area on Friday 15 November. The man was working on a pipeline in the area when the floods struck. A co-worker was lucky to be rescued by passersby after he held onto a branch of a tree before he was swept away.

Kuwait

Heavy rainfall over the nifht of 18 November left huge areas of Kuwait under water. The Arab Times said that Abdali, Wafra and Um Haiman appeared to be isolated islands. Cars were swept away along the flooded streets, and many homes and buildings were damaged. Three people have been killed as a result of the floods, all of them in were in their vehicles at the time. Over 1000 people had to be rescued by emergency services. Schools have been closed to help reduce potential accidents.

Local Kuwaiti meteorological stations have recorded heavy rainfall for the past two days in Kuwait.

Abdali 94mm
Failaka with 74mm
Julei’ah with 66mm
Kuwait International Airport 59mm
Wafra 58mm
Ahmadi 56mm
Rabiyah 55mm
Boubiyan 50mm
Salimiyah 48m
Kuwait City 36mm

UAE

Unusually heavy rainfall was seen in several areas of United Arab Emirates on Sunday 17 November. Particularly badly hit were Massafi, Sharjah, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), where flood water inundated streets and low lying areas. One man, Emirati military officer Lieutenant Hassan Rashid Al Shamili, was killed on Sunday 17 November in RAK after being swept away by flood water whilst in his vehicle.

Bahrain

Bahrain suffered heavy rainfall yesterday, Tuesday 19 November, bringing floods that damaged houses and blocked streets. Parts of Manama, Muharraq, Isa Town, Hamad Town, Sitra, Janabiya and Saar were inaccessible for some time. Some schools had to be closed as a result. Tankers have been used to clear areas of flood water.

Videos

Meanwhile some residents have been able to find something positive about the recent spate of flooding, such as the young man in the video clip below, who is enjoying using his jet ski along his local, flooded streets. It is unclear which country the jet skier is in – some claim it could be either Saudi Arabia or UAE.