Dubai flooding: 'Apocalyptic' superstorm strikes world's busiest airport as families sleep on floor

Photos show scores of tourists stranded at the world's busiest airport for international travel - due to torrential rain and flooding.

Passengers had to sleep on the floor at Dubai International Airport (DXB) in United Arab Emirates (UAE) as they waited for flights out of the country.

Dozens of planes were grounded due to the weather, which has caused severe flooding across UAE. More than 4.7in of rain fell before 4pm on Tuesday - making up the typical yearly average.

Roads surrounding the airport were seen submerged in water, with some wealthy drivers in luxury cars bragging of "floating" their way through the carnage. Witnesses at the airport said there were no empty seats left in the waiting area, as desperate travellers hunkered down and prepared for a long night ahead.

The world's busiest air hub for international passengers confirmed a halt to arrivals at around 3.30pm GMT before announcing a "gradual resumption" more than two hours later.

A total of 17 inbound and outbound flights were cancelled during the morning and three were diverted, Dubai Airports said in a statement. Operations at DXB were later suspended for 25 minutes on Tuesday due to an intense storm, the airport said in a statement.

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Outside the walls of the airport, footage from those trapped in the wet conditions have shared video and images that resemble an apocalyptic world.

Abandoned cars have been left to gather and pile up as they remain submerged in heavily flooded roads. A handful of brave drivers battling the elements have been spotted sitting atop their roofs and waiting for rescue under the black sky.

The deep pools of water had overtaken streets lined with luxury vehicles which have been seen floating aimlessly after their drivers scrambled for escape.

A clip shared on X early on Tuesday showed entrepreneur and YouTuber Jordan Welch trapped in his Rolls Royce in Dubai as deep water flooded the road.

"My Rolls Royce got flooded and we're stuck in the middle of the road in Dubai,' he wrote. He posted in a follow-up: "Just like all my friends in crypto... today I am underwater."

The "apocalyptic" storm struck the usually dry desert city and it is now underwater - with at least 18 people killed by floods in neighbouring Oman. With the United Arab Emirates experiencing rain extremely infrequently, the UAE has been plunged into chaos by torrential rain, huge thunderstorms and terrifying winds bringing damage to buildings and downing power lines. Dubai Airport said operations had been "temporarily diverted" with images showing the runway entirely underwater as several states recorded nearly a year's worth of rain in a day.

In a statement, Dubai airport said inbound flights due to arrive on Tuesday evening had been diverted "due to the continued exceptional weather event currently being experienced in the UAE". The UAE's National Centre of Meteorology issued a weather warning for large swathes of the country, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. Fears are now growing for many still missing in neighbouring Oman, with the dead including 10 students aged between 10 and 15 who were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in attempted to cross a flooded area but was swept away.

Airlines including Emirates are urging passengers to arrive at the airport up to four hours before their scheduled flight time, while a tweet from Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority read: “If you’re travelling from #DXB today, be sure to allow extra time to get to the airport and use the Dubai Metro, where possible. The metro operating hours have now been extended till 3AM tonight."

The rain is connected to a larger storm system travelling down the Arabian Peninsula and moving across the Gulf of Oman, with experts saying the freak weather is caused by climate change as a result of the warming atmosphere which soaks up more moisture before like a towel, before ringing it out in the form of more extreme rainfall and resulting floods, reports CNN.

Advice from the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority includes recommending “preventive measures for heavy rain and hailstorms to minimise impacts on properties” and “parking vehicles in distant, safe and elevated locations”.