Storm sweeping towards Dubai could spell Christmas nightmare for UK travellers
Dubai is bracing for biblical rainfall similar to storms that brought the city to its knees last year.
There are fears that many foreigners, including tens of thousands of British people, won’t be able to get home for Christmas as a result of heavy downpours.
Flash floods swamped Dubai Airport in April 2024. If the same happens again, an untold number of flights could be delayed or cancelled.
December temperatures in Dubai usually range from 20°C to 28°C. But as a storm sweeps across Gaza and the western side of the Arabian peninsula, the Emirates’ sunny outlook could turn.
What is the weather forecast for Dubai?
Rain is forecast to hit Dubai in the early hours of tomorrow, with a thunderstorm expected to arrive later in the morning.
The rain is set to worsen Thursday night, with torrential downpours expected on Friday. By Saturday, the weather is expected to improve.
Jim Dale, a meteorologist who founded British Weather Services, told Metro that the worst of the storm appears to be moving across the northern Middle East, bypassing Dubai.
But he warned that ‘thundery downpours’ could hit on Thursday and Friday.
‘You are in the part of the world where you do get flash floods, and they come out of the blue.
‘People might not take the warnings seriously because they are in a nice warm temperature, but suddenly the sky goes black and you might get 50-60mm of rain.’
He continued: ‘The thrust of that low pressure area is going to the north of Middle East rather than the south, so you will be seeing scattered thunderstorms, but they can still do damage. The situation needs to be watched.’
Jim said it is unlikely we will see Dubai Airport flooded like last year, although there is always ‘every chance’ when heavy showers happen suddenly.
Some locals have insisted rain is on the way as the Gulf city ‘does not feel like Dubai.’
Elle Starkos, an Australian living in the UAE capital, said: ‘It’s cold. It’s windy. It’s grey.
‘I swear…it’s here. It’s gonna rain in Dubai.’
Concern is growing that the 2024 flooding and disruption could be repeated during one of the busiest travel seasons if the storm dumps rain over the UAE.
The city’s municipality has issued safety guidelines for residents ahead of the unstable conditions.
Residents are urged to remove or secure balcony furniture that could be blown away, avoid using outdoor drains to keep them clear for rainwater and avoid walking near trees and construction sites in case of sudden gusts of wind, or wading through floodwater.
Winter storm wreaks havoc in Gaza
Jim said the storm has caused ‘distressing’ damage in Gaza, which has a different climate due to its Mediterranean location.
Winter storms have devastated tents and homes in the besieged enclave, deepening the humanitarian crisis for displaced Palestinians amid aid restrictions imposed by Israel.
Mazen al‑Najjar, the mayor of the city of Jabalia, warned that ‘the weather depression came as displaced people were already living in catastrophic conditions.’
At least 14 people died in a winter storm in Gaza last week, while over 53,000 tents housing refugees were flooded.
A baby reportedly died from cold, and another person was killed when a building collapsed.
How common is rain in Dubai?
Extreme weather – like flooding in a desert and longer and hotter heatwaves gripping Europe – is also more and more common due to climate change.
Dubai is also likely to experience more intense spells of extreme weather, including sandstorms and extreme summer temperatures regularly reaching 50°C, Jim warned.
Since the start of the millennium, United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region has seen an over 18% rise in rainfall, according to official figures from the Gulf cooperation organisation.
Experts predict average temperatures could increase by around 1.7°Cwithin just a few years.
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled?
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, UK and EU airlines must look after you if your flight is delayed or cancelled.
This includes everything from meals and accommodation to an alternative flight if necessary.
Citizen’s Advice says that airlines should also give impacted passengers access to phone calls and emails and, if they offer you a place to stay, organise the journeys between the hotel and the airport.
Sometimes, the airline will cover this by handing you vouchers at the airport. When in doubt, keep any receipts for expenses and claim them back afterwards from the airline.
But an airline will only cough up money for ‘reasonable’ expenses. The hotel minibar or penthouse suites likely can’t be expensed.
If you didn’t book with a UK or EU airline, you’ll need to check their terms and conditions. However, for the most part, airlines should provide meals and accommodation as appropriate.
When am I eligible for this support?
Whether you’re eligible for the above depends on the distance of your flight and how long you have waited:
- For short-haul (up to 1,500km over two hours or less) you must have been waiting for two hours or more.
- For medium-haul (between 1,500km and 3,500km over two to four hours) it’s three hours or more.
- For long-haul (more than 3,500km over four hours or more) it’s four hours or more.
If my flight is cancelled, can I get a refund?
If your flight is covered by UK law, you can choose between either getting your cancelled flight refunded or being booked on an alternative route.
Any part of your ticket you haven’t used is eligible for a refund. So, if you were on a return flight to Heathrow, for example, and the outbound leg was cancelled, you can get that part of the journey refunded.
You’ll typically get your money back within a week.
But not everyone is up for being stuck mid-layover. If you still want to travel, your airline must find a way to get you to your destination.
This can include, say, if another airliner is flying to where you need to go soon or if there’s another form of transport you can take. All at no extra cost.
Can I get any extra compensation?
What the law calls ‘extraordinary circumstances’ can include a fire, bird strikes, defects with a plane, or bad weather.
But none of these entitles impacted passengers to extra compensation, consumer watchdog Which? says. They’re largely considered outside the airline’s control.
In other circumstances, however, it’s a different story. You have several rights under the law if your journey is impacted by staff shortages, airline staff walkouts or if your flight was delayed because bad weather delayed a previous flight.
What you’re entitled to depends on the cause of the cancellation and how much notice the airline gave you.
This can range from £220 for short-haul flights, £350 for mid-haul and £520 for long-haul.
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