The United Arab Emirates (UAE) recorded the heaviest rain ever after a severe thunderstorm hit the country on Monday (April 15) late night, killing at least one person, causing damage to homes and businesses, and bringing air travel to a standstill in Dubai. According to the state-run WAM news agency, the rain was “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949” – that was before the UAE was established in 1971. Heavy rains are unusual in the UAE, which is an arid, Arabian Peninsula country.
