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Wintry blast on its way

DUBAI — Lashings by sand, wind and rain and plunging temperatures are on the cards for the next couple of days across the country.

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After a week of foggy weather, strong winds will push sand dust from the south of Iraq towards the north of the country, spreading out over the day and reducing visibility to 3000 metres on land, a National Meteorology and Seismology Centre spokesman said.

The areas most likely to be affected by the sand included Delma and neighbouring islands, and the interior parts of the Western Region, like Madinat Zayed and Al Sila, he said.

“People who suffer with asthma should remain indoors.”

There would be less density of dust in Abu Dhabi and Dubai than the Western Region.

Thursday’s weather would bring a southerly wind and chances of light rain over the northern region, particularly the far north, he said.

Temperatures would also drop, especially in coastal areas. The southerly wind is expected to accelerate, pushing the sand clouds further inward, while an increased amount of cloud could lead to rain on Friday too.

A north-westerly wind on Friday will bring a drop in temperature to around 23 or 24 degree Celsius, with a substantial drop on Saturday and Sunday which could get as low as 20 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.

He advised boatmen or anyone intending to be out in the water to be very careful as the sea will be “very rough” over the coming days, especially at night.

Meanwhile, the fog that has caused multiple car accidents and traffic jams is to continue, he said.

“Actually, the fog formation occurrence happens during February. Because of high pressure this will keep the chances of fog forming from time to time (and) we will witness a high frequency of fog.”

The fog episodes in coming weeks could get worse than those already experienced but “it depends on the pressure systems affecting the country”.

Fog happened when there was high pressure, which trapped moisture in the lower atmosphere, he said.

Tuesday’s fog left visibility distances as low as 200 metres at Ras Al Khaimah airport, though most of the fog across the country dissipated by about 5am.

According to the Abu Dhabi Police Directorate director of operations Lt-Colonel Nassir Al Maskri, on Tuesday alone 281 minor accidents happened during the foggy hours, mainly in the morning. “There were some accidents in the city but the majority occurred on external roads and highways where the visibility was extremely poor. By the grace of God there were no severe accidents and the number of casualties were minor (compared to) the number of accidents.”

amanda@khaleejtimes.com