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News / Severe Weather

Middle East pummeled by frequent rounds of flooding rain, severe weather

By Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist

Published Mar 23, 2020 5:03 PM EDT

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On March 21, a giant storm struck Dubai, United Arab Emirates, unleashing thunder and hail upon the city.

As people around the globe battle the coronavirus pandemic, rounds of deadly flooding have gripped parts of the Middle East.

The latest in a series of storms moved into the Middle East on Friday and swept across the region into Monday. The storm spread periods of rain and thunderstorms from the eastern Mediterranean coastline to the northern Arabian Sea.

کشته های سیل در ۲۴ ساعت گذشته به یازده نفر رسید

سخنگوی سازمان مدیریت بحران:
🔹کشته‌های سیل ۲۴ ساعت گذشته در کشور به یازده نفر رسید.
🔹از این تعداد از کشته شدگان ۲ نفر مادر و فرزند در بندر عباس، ۳نفر در استان فارس، ۳ نفر در کنارگ ،۳ نفر هم در قم و یک نفر در بوشهر جان خود را از… pic.twitter.com/bokw633L9l

— jonoub_fouri (@Jonoub_fouri) March 23, 2020

The frequent rounds of heavy rain caused rivers to swell and floodwaters to fill streets in parts of the Middle East into the beginning of the week.

Rainfall totals of 50 mm (2 inches) through the duration of the storm were common across the region with higher amounts reported in areas that endured prolonged and repeated downpours.

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Kahnooj, Iran, reported 144 mm (5.67 inches) of rain from Sunday into Monday. In Kandahar, Afghanistan, 170 mm (6.69 inches) of rainfall was recorded in just 24 hours.

Floodwaters rushed through Iran's southern provinces on Sunday, including Hormozgan, Fars, Bushehr, Qom, Gilan, Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan.

As of late Wednesday, local time, officials announced that eleven people had died and seventeen more were injured due to areas of flash flooding and mudslides across southern Iran.

Related:

Middle East Weather Homepage
AccuWeather’s 2020 Asia spring forecast
Strongest earthquake in 140 years rattles Croatia’s capital, at least 1 dead
New study says ‘high temperature and high relative humidity significantly reduce’ spread of COVID-19

Thunderstorms that developed along the Persian Gulf turned severe throughout the weekend and into the beginning of the week.

A severe thunderstorm rolled through Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday evening and unleashed heavy downpours, strong winds, frequent lightning and hail.

A couple of shots during the sudden thunderstorm tonight in #Dubai pic.twitter.com/UZToleyrzX

— مطر (@emadmutter) March 21, 2020

After a couple of stray thunderstorms on Sunday, a heavy thunderstorm moved through Birjand, Iran, Monday afternoon and evening. The storm brought periods of heavy rainfall and a wind gust of 100 km/h (62 mph).

Wind gusts up to 69 km/h (43 mph) in Zabol, Iran, picked up dust and dropped visibility as low as 1.4 km (less than 1 mile) late in the day on Monday.

📸 خسارات سیل در بندر کنگان - بوشهر
🌇 @Jonoub_Fouri pic.twitter.com/mewZK3nz9E

— jonoub_fouri (@Jonoub_fouri) March 23, 2020

On the northern side of the storm, colder air brought periods of accumulating snow to parts of eastern Turkey into the beginning of the weekend.

Just days before the arrival of this storm, floodwaters swept through parts of Iraq.

Outside of a few stray showers and thunderstorms, this week is forecast to be dry across the Middle East. However, by the end of the week, a storm is forecast to bring another round of rain and storms to the region.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

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