Dubai’s skyline turned into a scene from a disaster movie on the night of Thursday, March 26, 2026.
A powerful weather system tore through the Middle East, and the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, was repeatedly hit by massive bolts of lightning.
The dramatic flashes, caught on video by thousands of residents, lit up the 828-meter tower against a backdrop of pitch-black storm clouds.
While the "apocalyptic" visuals went viral, officials confirmed the building’s advanced safety systems worked perfectly, guiding the electricity safely into the ground.
The weather crisis currently stands as a primary disruption for the region. Its primary mandate involves managing a "low-pressure system" that brought a year’s worth of rain to parts of the UAE in just 48 hours.
The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) issued an "amber alert" through Friday, March 27, warning of flooding, hail, and "unstable conditions" that caused major travel chaos at Dubai International Airport.
“Avoid going to sea and exercise extreme caution when driving,” the Dubai Media Office posted on X, telling residents to stay away from flood-prone valleys.
The storms will also absorb and expand upon the ongoing tension in the Gulf. A critical component of the "spicy" atmosphere in Dubai is that the thunder competed with the sound of missile interceptions.
Overnight on Wednesday, March 25, UAE air defenses stopped six ballistic missiles and nine drones launched from Iran.
While the lightning was natural, the "booms" heard across the city were often the result of Emirati fighter jets and defense systems hitting aerial targets.
One resident cited the "double anxiety" of nature and war as the primary reason the streets of Downtown Dubai were empty.
One of the most immediate challenges for the city is telling the difference between weather damage and debris from the conflict.
Observers cited the "20-year-old steel frame" of the Burj Khalifa as the primary reason the tower acts as a giant shield, protecting people inside from both lightning and falling metal.
“It looked like the building was fighting the sky,”_ _one witness said, noting that the tower acts as the city's largest lightning rod to keep smaller buildings safe.
The establishment of this "unstable weather" period follows a month of more frequent strikes from Iran, which have reportedly killed 11 people in the UAE so far this year.
While the rain should clear by Saturday, the emphasis remains on the security warnings given to travelers, with some airlines stopping flights until mid-April.
Director-level officials at the NCM promised to keep watching the storm's path toward Oman 24/7.
As the clouds begin to break, the question remains: “Will the end of the 'Great Storm' bring a break in the regional fighting, or is the 'apocalyptic' weather just the start of a more intense military weekend?”, a question that has the entire Gulf on high alert.