“I’ve Photographed Many Severe Weather Events. None Matched The Sheer Intensity and Impact of This One”: The Dubai Storm in Pictures
UAE photographers captured magnificent images of yesterday’s historical storm, braving the elements to document the lit up sky
Dubai storm pictures: Storm chasers took to social media to share their best shots.
On Tuesday a fierce storm enveloped the UAE, showering the region with the heaviest rainfall in 75 years.
The extreme weather conditions ravaged the country with thunderstorms, lightening, hail, and floods, even plunging some areas into darkness as power outages ensued and omnious grey clouds covered the skies.
UAE-based storm chasers – photographers with an affinity for capturing extreme weather conditions – took the opportunity to get magnificent shots of yesterday’s historic weather event.
Zohaib Anjum
Dubai-based Zohaib Anjum, shared an exquisite image of an illuminated Sheik Zayed mosque surrounded by swirling dark clouds, as speedy lightening strikes glistened from above.
Commenting on his experience venturing into storm, Zohaib says: “This storm was indeed unprecedented for me. I’ve been chasing storms in the UAE for 16 years, but I have never seen storms like these in my life.”
“I’ve photographed many severe weather events over the years, but none matched the sheer intensity and impact of this one. The scale of the devastation was unlike anything I’ve seen,” he continued.
According to Zohaib, his journey to getting the now iconic shot was a two-day adventure.”I was capturing this storm starting from Abu Dhabi and ended up in Dubai, continuously chasing for two days,” he shared.
“I saw a supercell bringing lots of hail and heavy winds. I’ve tried to capture the Sheikh Zayed Mosque more than three times without success. This time, with a severe storm brewing, I was determined to get my dream shot of lightning with the mosque. I was there, setting up my camera throughout the night until early morning, all for that one shot. At 2 am, I finally got my shot. Delighted, I drove back through the crazy weather to chase storms in Dubai.”
Upon his return, the photographer also managed to capture the Burj Khalifa in all its glory amidst a backdrop of lightning igniting the sky.
Ahmed Alnaji
Ahmed Alnaji, known as a fine art international cityscapes and architecture photographer based in Dubai, shared a stunning image of the thunderstorm which he titled, The Night Kingdom.
The image, which he captured in the early hours of Tuesday, April 16, presents a majestic portrait of the Burj Khalifa illuminated by lightning while Downtown Dubai glistens in the foreground.
“The stunning result of the thunderstorm we witnessed early this morning. The artwork is complete,” he captured the image.
Rami Dibo
Professional photographer and videographer, Rami Dibo is also known for venturing into the elements. Yesterday, he posted a video and images on his Instagram Story showcasing the Dubai skyline as lightening and storm clouds ravaged the city.
More News on Yesterday’s Storm in The UAE
UAE Storm: 10 Videos of Rain, Lightning and Flooding
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Lead image credit: @vertigoduabi/Instagram.com