The rains began late Monday, soaking the sands and roadways of Dubai with some 20 millimeters (0.79 inches) of rain, according to meteorological data collected at Dubai International Airport.

The Arabian peninsular was hit by unprecedented rainfall and floods on Wednesday, shutting schools and grounding flights, ...

Unprecedented floods hit the desert country this week ... after an unprecedented flood inundated its futuristic Dubai city, flooding roads and highways and rendering its airport inoperable.

In this instance, the rain gods descended south to Dubai ... this in the middle of a desert, right? It's already saturated with water. And on top of that, you add the flood.