UAE | Environment
Dust envelops the UAE and reduces visibility
Gale force winds of 35 knots from the north-west have stirred up thick dust across the emirates and reduced visibility, but the temperature has dropped, according to the Dubai weather office.
- By Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter
- Published: 13:17 June 9, 2008
- "There will be no respite (from the dust haze) for the next 48 hours," said Dr S. K. Gupta, duty forecaster.
- Image Credit: Arshad Ali/Gulf News
Dubai: Gale force winds of 35 knots from the north-west have stirred up thick dust across the emirates and reduced visibility, but the temperature has dropped, according to the Dubai weather office.
"There will be no respite (from the dust haze) for the next 48 hours," said Dr S. K. Gupta, duty forecaster. The dust has badly hit Kuwait, Baghdad, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where visibility has dropped to 500 meters.
While Dubai offshore is not as bad, the winds have whipped up 8 to 9 foot waves in northern Abu Dhabi, said the forecaster.
The winds have helped bring down the mercury by about two to three degrees to maximum of 34.9 degrees and minimum of 28 degrees Celsius. Humidity is 50 per cent at the moment. The Comfort Index is at 3, which is slightly comfortable, compared to 6 on June 6, which was ‘very uncomfortable'. If the comfort index reaches 9, that is ‘extreme stress' and can be expected in July and August, said Dr Gupta.
People with breathing difficulty or suffering from allergies are advised not to venture out into the dust haze if possible.
Dubai recorded 41.6 degrees Celsius on June 5, while it reached 43 degrees Celsius in Sharjah, last week. According to the Sharjah weather bureau, the highest temperature recorded in the emirate was 49.2 degrees Celsius, a couple of years ago.
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