Several Flights Cancelled As Heavy Rains, Thunderstorms Return To UAE

Dubai: Heavy rains and thunderstorms lashed the UAE today, leading to the cancellation of several international flights, two weeks after Dubai was hit by unprecedented storms that paralysed the emirate for days.On Wednesday, the country’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) elevated the readiness and preparedness levels of the national system to deal with the situation.While these rains are expected to be less severe than the unprecedented downpour that hit the country last month, the public is urged to take precautions.On April 14-15, extreme rainfall battered regions of the Arabian Peninsula, with Dubai experiencing the heaviest rains on record since 1949.Dubai-based Emirates airline announced the cancellation of several flights on Thursday due to bad weather across the UAE as movements at Dubai International Airport (DXB) were reduced.