Dubai was hit with severe flooding on April 16th after two years’ worth of rain fell in just 24 hours. Records show Over a half foot — 6.26 inches — of rain was recorded in the United Arab Emirates city between 10 p.m. local time Monday and 10 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to the Dubai Meteorological Office. Dubai receives 3.12 inches of rain per year on average, according to the World Meteorological Organization, meaning two years’ worth of rain fell in 24 hours.

The city receives nearly all of its annual rain (over 92%) between the months of November and March. On average, Dubai typically receives just 0.13 inches of rain during the month of April.Human-amplified climate change is causing extreme rainfall events to become more frequent and more intense, according to the U.S. government. There are claims that cloud seeding may have played a role in the flash floods; the practice sees planes inject clouds with chemicals that can increase rainfall.

While the images of extreme flooding can show the consequences of the climate crisis, this particular event may have been worsened by a direct attempt to play rainmaker. To address water scarcity in the typically dry country, the UAE started using a practice referred to as cloud seeding in the 90s and early 2000s. Cloud seeding is a method designed to increase the amount of water that falls from a cloud. It involves identifying suitable clouds and then using aircraft or ground-based generators to introduce a chemical agent that facilitates the production of water droplets.

The practice has long been controversial, with critics dismissing it as an attempt to “play God” or being potentially harmful to the environment or public health. Scientists have not documented the harmful impacts of cloud seeding, and recent studies have suggested that the practice works.