Heavy rains flooded runways in the United Arab Emirates and flooded drainage systems, grounding many flights at Dubai International Airport.

Officials at the airport, considered the world’s busiest in terms of international travel, said Thursday they would need another day to get closer to full operational capacity.

“Once operations return to normal, we will assess the damage and be able to provide [a] Majed Al Joker, chief operating officer of Dubai Airports, told Alrabiya TV on Thursday.

The area has been closed for two days since record rainfall hit the country. By the end of Tuesday, more than 142 millimeters (5.59 inches) of rain had fallen in Dubai, preventing outbound passengers from checking in. The order was lifted Thursday.

State media WAM called the flooding a “historic weather event”, adding that it exceeded “any event recorded since data collection began in 1949”.

The storm quickly overwhelmed Dubai’s unequipped drainage system, flooding entire neighborhoods and parts of highways. Schools will remain closed until next week. According to the Associated Press, at least one person died in the flooding, although official damage information has not yet been released.

Abu Dhabi Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on Wednesday that authorities would “quickly study the condition of infrastructure across the UAE and limit the damage”.

The flooding has raised suspicions among some that artificial rainfall in Dubai affected the flooding. Cloud seeding is the practice of flying small aircraft over clouds to spread chemicals to increase the likelihood of rainfall.

Experts said rain was unlikely to be the sole cause of the flooding because the storm had been predicted in advance.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, said on social media platform It has given all citizens and residents great care, awareness, cohesion and love for every corner of the country.”

Scientists attribute the rise in catastrophic natural disasters such as Dubai floods to climate change. According to the United Nations, flood-related disasters have increased by 134% since 2000 compared with the previous 20 years.

Some information for this report comes from Reuters and the Associated Press.