UAE weather: Was the record-breaking storm caused by cloud seeding?

The UAE is still recovering after an unprecedented storm and torrential rain hit on Tuesday. But was cloud seeding involved? Here’s what officials have said…

Tuesday, April 16 was a day to remember for the UAE as the country saw the most rainfall ever recorded in 24 hours, leaving cities flooded and suffering from the aftermath. Even now, two days later, the disruption continues: schools remain closed, offices closed, flights cancelled, and many people grappling with the loss of homes and vehicles.

Rainfall in the desert is quite a rare occurrence, especially in April, and so, as with every drop of rain in Dubai, questions were raised as to whether the rainfall was artificially induced through cloud seeding techniques.

Did cloud seeding do it?

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) told The National that no cloud seeding missions took place during Tuesday’s record-breaking storm.

“The NCM didn’t conduct any seeding operations during this event,” it said in a statement. “One of the basic principles of cloud seeding is that you have to target clouds in its early stage before it rains. If you have a severe thunderstorm situation then it is too late to conduct any seeding operation.

“We take the safety of our people, pilots and aircraft very seriously. NCM doesn’t conduct cloud seeding operations during extreme weather events.”

SEE ALSO: 10 fascinating facts about the UAE’s cloud seeding project

Heaviest rainfall in 75 years…

Surpassing anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949, it’s the most rainfall ever recorded in 24 hours, as per NCM. The record rainfall was accounted for between 9pm on Monday April 15 and 9pm on Tuesday April 16. Further rainfall was recorded after 9pm on Tuesday night.

As per NCM, the highest rainfall was recorded in Al Ain’s Khatm Al Sahkla area, where 254mm fell in less than a 24 hour period.

Images: Getty