In April 2024, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was hit by a weather front that produced the heaviest rainfall in the country for 75 years (Magnusson, 2024), causing major disruption across the country and attracting international attention due to the severity of the event. Over four days, from 14 to 18 April, more than 200 mm of rain was recorded in several areas of UAE and surrounding areas (Guy Carpenter, 2024), inundating large areas of normally arid land. Significant impacts were felt across the country, including in major cities such as Dubai, which received 142 mm of rainfall in 24 hours – the equivalent of 18 months of rain (Gambrell, 2024).
Using flood depth data from rainfall gauges across the country, in addition to validation from photographs of the floods, JBA was able to directly compare the data from this flood event with that within JBA’s global 30 metre flood maps. As a result, we were able to analyse the return period of the Dubai floods, measuring the significance of the event in different locations, and analysing how this varied across different areas.
We were able to conclude that during the 2024 floods, the Jumeirah area of Dubai, with a measured surface water flood depth of 168 mm, was impacted by a 125-year flood event.
Figure 1 shows JBA’s 30m flood map for the Jumeirah district of Dubai, a densely populated and highly urbanised area of the city. The map illustrates surface water flood at a return period of 200 years, shown in purple. Darker shades indicate greater flood depths, allowing vulnerable areas to be easily identified. The flood map of this region has recently been updated as part of JBA’s 2025 flood map update programme, providing clients with flood risk insight created using the latest technology and methodologies, and modelling both river and surface water flooding with enhanced detail and relevance.
Impacts of the 2024 flood event within Dubai were extensive and far reaching; one of the most notable being the cancellation or diversion of 1,244 flights at Dubai International Airport over a 2-day period from 16 to 18 April due to severely flooded runways and facilities. Surface water depths at the airport were measured at 164 mm. Figure 2 shows JBA’s 200-year flood map of the airport area with surface water flooding identified in purple. The challenges in and around the airport, along with the closure of other major infrastructure such as schools, shopping centres and roads, demonstrate just some of the social and economic impacts of urban flooding, highlighting the importance of flood management and prediction in all environments.
Our clients – from re/insurance and financial organisations to property management and NGOs – rely on JBA’s market-leading flood maps to support their flood risk management, strategy and planning. As climate change increases the likelihood of severe flood events, regularly updated, high-quality flood risk information based on the latest data and methodology is more important than ever.
References
Gambrell, J. (2024). United Arab Emirates struggles to recover after heaviest recorded rainfall ever hits desert nation. AP News. Available at: https://apnews.com/article/uae-rain-flood-recovery-dubai-airport-travel-a0fb046e15b39f126a16e5a599a7b313
Gokulan, D. (2024, April 18). Dubai Airports: 1,244 flights cancelled over two days; 61 flights diverted due to bad weather. Avialable at: https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/dubai-airports-1244-flights-cancelled-over-two-days-61-flights-diverted-due-to-bad-weather-1.1713422949839
Guy Carpenter. (2024). CAT resource Center post Event report: Gulf Floods - April 2024. Available at: https://www.guycarp.com/content/dam/guycarp-rebrand/insights-images/2024/04/Gulf-Floods-April-2024.pdf
Guy Carpenter. (2024, September). Post-event report: Gulf Floods Update - September 2024. Available at: https://www.guycarp.com/insights/2024/09/post-event-report-gulf-floods-update-september-2024.html
Magnusson, L. H. (2024, April). Unprecedented rainfall in the United Arab Emirates. Available at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts: https://www.ecmwf.int/en/newsletter/180/news/unprecedented-rainfall-united-arab-emirates#top
National Center of Meteorology . (2024). Cloud Seeding. Available at National Center of Meteorology : https://www.ncm.gov.ae/pages/cloud-seeding?lang=en