Heavy rains have caused havoc across the Persian Gulf on October 18, with major roads flooded and infrastructure unable to cope with a year's worth of rain in a few days, according to the latest reports from the usually arid region. 

Dubai Municipality said it is closely monitoring weather conditions as heavy rains affect Dubai, sending alerts to people on local mobile networks as part of its push to get a handle on the situation, and urging them to refrain from going to the beach.

The latest rains come as neighbouring Iran seeded clouds in recent weeks to avert catastrophe from However, this deluge is not believed to be directly related to efforts by Islamic Republic authorities across the water to force rain.  

The city confirmed it has completed a wide package of preventive and technical measures to stop the floods, but videos released by people living there show that despite efforts, the floods have worsened in recent hours.

Dubai Municipality constructed six temporary lakes in several vital areas, in addition to collection lakes with a total capacity reaching 600,000 cubic metres, to reduce pressure on main networks.

Flights from Dubai International Airport have been rerouted south to avoid the heavy thunder and rain, according to flight radar information, with UAE airports reporting several delays and cancellations over the next 24 hours.

The municipality connected pumping lines with 10 main water outlet,s including Dubai Water Canal, Dubai Creek, the sea and the deep tunnel to ensure safe and rapid water drainage.

The municipality intensified cleaning operations for rainwater drainage openings, internal filters and gradient lines, whilst monitoring cleaning of more than 84,000 drainage openings in real estate development areas in coordination with property developers and free zones.

Other Persian Gulf Arab monarchies also experienced heavy rain on December 18, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar where the downpour caused an Arab Cup match to be cancelled.

On the other side of the Gulf, neighbouring Iran said it was facing a heavy deluge on the island of Kish and in Hormozgan province, where rain was overwhelming the region. 

Kish Island has witnessed unprecedented rainfall since December 16, equivalent to the total rainfall recorded in the region over the past two years. The heavy rain has caused flooding on roads and necessitated emergency crisis management measures.

Further north, heavy rainfall totalling 160 millimetres over three days has damaged more than 600 homes in Lamerd, southern Iran's Fars province, due to flooding, the deputy governor for development said on December 18. Some 700 calls were made to the Red Crescent, with visits and services conducted in three to four villages where access routes were cut off, with assistance from Basij forces and public volunteers.