Dubai flooded by extreme rain as deadly storms sweep through UAE, Oman

Intense rain in the Middle East from late Sunday through Tuesday caused extensive flooding in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, where at least 20 people were killed by the floodwaters. The death toll includes 10 schoolchildren who were washed away while in a vehicle in Samad A'Shan, Oman.

On Tuesday, Dubai International Airport, the second-busiest airport in the world, diverted inbound flights due to flooding on the tarmac and roads to the airport. The city reported nearly 4 inches (99 mm) of rain in 12 hours Tuesday, which is more than its historical average annual rainfall of 3.73 inches (94.7 mm).

The storm's total rainfall in Dubai added up to 6.45 inches (164 mm) by Wednesday morning, an event the state-run WAM news agency said was worse than "anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949."

Streets were submerged and vehicles were stranded in water across Dubai following the historic rainfall, according to The Associated Press.

Marmul Airport, which is located near oil fields in southern Oman, measured 13.61 inches (345.8 mm) during the storms. Chahbahar, on the coast of Iran, reported 12.36 inches (314 mm).

At one point Tuesday, NASA's IMERG rainfall instrument estimated 1.32 inches of rain was falling per hour over the Gulf of Oman. (NASA)

"March and April are typically the wettest months in the UAE and Oman," explained AccuWeather Lead International Forecaster Jason Nicholls.

"But this year has been wetter than normal across the area, which means more storms," Nicholls added. "A series of low-pressure systems has brought rounds of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain to the region over the last several weeks. It looks like a quieter pattern across the region later this week into next week."