Schools and offices closed: The United Arab Emirates is once again…

On Thursday night, a storm swept through the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, and schools and many offices remained closed across the country.

Two weeks after record flooding, the UAE is once again facing heavy rains. The National Center of Meteorology said that a storm swept through the oil-rich Gulf kingdom on Thursday evening, and rain exceeding 50 millimeters fell in some areas by eight in the morning.

Schools and many offices remained closed across the country. Some areas of Dubai Financial City and the city's airport, the busiest in the world in terms of the number of international passengers, were flooded. Thirteen flights were canceled and five flights were diverted. Dubai-based Emirates and sister airline Flydubai warned passengers of delays as schools switched to distance learning and public facilities remained closed.

Rainfall has not reached the levels seen on April 16, when a record 259.5 mm fell, leading to the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights. The cloudburst that occurred last month, which killed four people, was the worst in the UAE since records began in 1949. Scientists believe it was caused by global warming. (APA/AFP)