The United Arab Emirates witnessed its heaviest rainfall in 75 years this week, triggering massive flooding that swept away cars, caused flights to be canceled and left multiple people dead.

Some areas recorded more than 10 inches of rain in less than 24 hours, the state’s media office said in a statement Wednesday — the most since recordkeeping began in 1949.

At Dubai International Airport on Tuesday, nearly 4 inches of rain fell over the course of a 12-hour period on Tuesday, or roughly what Dubai usually records in an entire year.


Videos posted to social media showed planes moving through several feet of water on the tarmac. Others showed sinkholes swallowing up cars, water rushing through a mall and someone navigating the floodwaters using a jetski.

Photographers captured dramatic images of cars submerged in floodwaters.