A rare severe convective setup is forecast to develop across the Gulf region, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and eastern Saudi Arabia, on March 26–27, 2026, as a deep low-pressure system and strong upper-level trough interact with high instability and wind shear. The environment may support organized thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes, alongside heavy rainfall, hail, and damaging winds.
A large-scale storm system is forecast to bring heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across parts of the Middle East, including Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf states, between March 25 and 31, 2026, raising flood risk in urban and desert regions. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have issued warnings for unstable conditions with rain, strong winds, and reduced visibility, while flooding has already caused fatalities in Oman. Parts of the region might see a year’s worth of rain or more through the course of the event.
Deadly flash floods on December 9, 2025, killed at least three people in Iraq’s Kurdistan and Kirkuk region, damaging over 2 600 homes and structures in the affected regions.
The Iraqi government has announced a new water initiative to manage water resources from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as the country records its lowest water reserves in 80 years. Current storage levels are at only 10 billion m³ compared to the seasonal norm of 18 billion m³ threatening the country’s agricultural production.
Large sandstorms swept across multiple provinces across Saudi Arabia, with parts of Riyadh and Al Qassim experiencing near-zero visibility through Sunday and Monday, May 4 and 5, 2025.
A severe dust storm swept through Iraq on April 14, 2025, hospitalizing over 2 700 people due to suffocation and respiratory issues, primarily in the southern provinces. The storm covered regions in a blood-red and orange haze, disrupted travel, and overwhelmed hospitals in Maysan, Basra, and Muthanna.
Severe dust storms swept across Iraq and Iran on Saturday, December 14, 2024, injuring at least 65 people and prompting officials to close schools and cancel flights. In Iran, the storm was described as one of the worst in recent years.
The Iraqi Meteorological Organization and Seismology confirmed on Saturday, September 7, 2024, that the mysterious bright light seen over the skies of Iraq on Friday, September 6 was caused by a meteor burning up in the atmosphere, denying the earlier speculation that it might have been earthquake lightning.
Heavy rainfall affecting the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on March 19, 2024, caused extreme flooding in the Duhok Governorate, leading to the deaths of at least two people and damage to dozens of homes.
A team of German and Kurdish archaeologists has uncovered a 3 400-year-old Mittani Empire-era city once located on the Tigris River. The settlement emerged from the waters of the Mosul reservoir early this year as water levels fell rapidly due to extreme drought in Iraq.
