Street scene after heavy rain as unfavorable weather conditions affected daily life in Dubai.
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The National Center for Meteorology (NCM), the government task force responsible for artificial rainfall in the United Arab Emirates, has denied reports that it has implemented weather modification techniques ahead of storms across the country, exacerbating flooding in places like Dubai.
The organization told CNBC it did not send pilots for seeding operations before or during the storm that hit the UAE on Tuesday.
Omar AlYazeedi, deputy director-general of the NCM, said the agency “did not conduct any seeding operations during this event.”
He added: “One of the basic principles of cloud seeding is that you have to target the clouds at an early stage before it rains. If you have a severe thunderstorm, it will be too late to do any seeding operations.”
On Tuesday, the country experienced its worst torrential rains yet, with more than 250mm According to NCM data, rainfall exceeded 100 mm in the emirate of Al Ain and in places such as Dubai.The average annual rainfall in the UAE is 140 to 200 mm.
NCM’s denial comes after Earlier report from Bloombergincluding professional meteorologist Ahmed Habib Said Tuesday’s rainfall was partly caused by artificial rainfall. Habib later told CNBC that the six pilots carried out the mission according to normal procedures but did not spread any clouds. CNBC could not independently verify the reports.
Artificial rainfall, a process used to increase rainfall, has been an integral part of the UAE’s mission to address water shortages. The seeding mission was introduced in the 1990s and now performs over 1,000 hours of cloud seeding per year.
The NCM said it had tracked incoming heavy rainfall but had not targeted any clouds in the interim, attributing the storm to natural rainfall.
“We take the safety of our personnel, pilots and aircraft very seriously. NCM does not carry out cloud seeding operations during extreme weather events,” the deputy director general added.
According to a report in the scientific journal, rainfall has increased in the Gulf country in the past few years and is expected to increase by 15-30% in the coming years. nature.
The UAE has traditionally been characterized by a desert climate and scant rainfall, but weather patterns in the UAE are constantly changing due to climate change.
The UAE Government’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority issues a warning Social Media PlatformX Residents are urged to stay home and follow safety guidelines ahead of unsettled weather conditions.
The UAE’s infrastructure and buildings are designed to withstand the region’s typical weather patterns, such as minimal rainfall. The UAE’s drainage systems are struggling to cope with unprecedented torrential rains, flooding roads and airports and halting major operations in the country.
In the early morning of April 17, 2024, Dubai was hit by heavy rain, and vehicles were stranded on the flooded streets.
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