Images
May 7, 2024 - Middle East Flooding Continues
May 5, 2024
April 30, 2023
Tweet
In April 2024, extreme rains pummeled the United Arab Emirates (UAE), unleashing more than a year’s worth of rain in some cities in just a few days. Unfortunately, another strong system brought additional “howling winds and pounding rain” starting May 2, according to local media reports.
The May storm caused closure of beaches, public parks, offices, and markets in Dubai as well as transportation delays and flight cancellations. Some areas that had been inundated in April also suffered renewed flooding, including Abu Dhabi, where several airline flights were diverted to other, dryer, airports at the height of the storm.
On May 5, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image showing the widespread flooding after the most recent severe storm in the UAE. This type of image shows flood water (shallow water) as bright blue, deep water as dark blue, desert as light tan, and vegetation looks green. Floodwater covers the coastal region near the city of Abu Dhabi and extends westward. Heavy flooding is also evident in the far west, extending into Saudi Arabia.
To better appreciate the changes in the floodwaters over time, the May 5 image is compared with a second false-color Terra MODIS image acquired on April 30. At that time, some standing water remained from the mid-April storms, but the region was notably drier than on May 5. A few clouds (also bright blue) hang over the Persian Gulf as the May 2 system approaches from the west.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/5/2024
Resolutions:
1km (50 KB), 500m (113.5 KB), 250m (169.6 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
May 5, 2024 April 30, 2023
In April 2024, extreme rains pummeled the United Arab Emirates (UAE), unleashing more than a year’s worth of rain in some cities in just a few days. Unfortunately, another strong system brought additional “howling winds and pounding rain” starting May 2, according to local media reports.
The May storm caused closure of beaches, public parks, offices, and markets in Dubai as well as transportation delays and flight cancellations. Some areas that had been inundated in April also suffered renewed flooding, including Abu Dhabi, where several airline flights were diverted to other, dryer, airports at the height of the storm.
On May 5, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image showing the widespread flooding after the most recent severe storm in the UAE. This type of image shows flood water (shallow water) as bright blue, deep water as dark blue, desert as light tan, and vegetation looks green. Floodwater covers the coastal region near the city of Abu Dhabi and extends westward. Heavy flooding is also evident in the far west, extending into Saudi Arabia.
To better appreciate the changes in the floodwaters over time, the May 5 image is compared with a second false-color Terra MODIS image acquired on April 30. At that time, some standing water remained from the mid-April storms, but the region was notably drier than on May 5. A few clouds (also bright blue) hang over the Persian Gulf as the May 2 system approaches from the west.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/5/2024
Resolutions:
1km (50 KB), 500m (113.5 KB), 250m (169.6 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
