Satellite images of Dubai before and after the 'apocalyptic' flood

Unprecedented rainfall engulfed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week, bringing life in Dubai and many other places in the region to a standstill.

Flooding after the "cataclysm" in Dubai was so intense that satellites could observe from space several days after the clouds cleared and the last drops of rain fell, CNN reported on April 22.

The Landsat 9 satellite (co-owned by NASA and the US Geological Survey) flew over the UAE on April 19 - less than two days after the rain stopped - to take pictures of large puddles of water everywhere.

Jebel Ali area, southern suburb of Dubai, before and after the historic flood. (Photo: NASA).

According to satellite observations, they are dark green, clearly showing the contrast between the floodwaters and the dry ground of the area - which is light brown or dark brown. In the image, flooding is shown in the southernmost part of Dubai, while the country's highly urbanized center is not seen.

The photos were taken using Landsat 9's artificial colors to highlight the appearance of water on dry land. Therefore, the colors displayed are not as accurate as when viewed from space, but help viewers easily identify the difference before and after the flood on the land.

Satellites also recorded scenes of intense flooding in Abu Dhabi (capital of the UAE). Small, shallow bodies of water will be light blue. Larger, deeper waters are dark blue.

Satellite images before and after historic rain in Abu Dhabi. (Photo: NASA).

Most dry brown soil also appears pale green after rain. This shows that the ground in many areas retains moisture from rain, even if they are not completely submerged.

UAE news agency WAM called the rain on April 16 "a historic weather event" , surpassing "any recorded since data was collected in 1949".

According to the UAE National Meteorological Center, 254 mm of rain was recorded in less than 24 hours in the city of Al Ain, part of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, bordering Oman. At Dubai International Airport on April 16, nearly 100 mm of rain was measured in just 12 hours, equivalent to the city's two-year rainfall.

These unusually heavy rains will become more frequent because of human-caused climate change. As the atmosphere continues to warm, it can absorb as much moisture as a towel, which is then released in the form of more extreme floods.