UAE | Environment
Weatherman debunks stormy Friday warning
A weather forecaster on Tuesday assured people that a heavy storm is not expected in Dubai on Friday after a hoax e-mail warned residents to stay indoors.
- By Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 July 26, 2006
Dubai: A weather forecaster on Tuesday assured people that a heavy storm is not expected in Dubai on Friday after a hoax e-mail warned residents to stay indoors.
Phil Targett, duty forecaster at Dubai International Airport, said Friday is expected to be a normal day and that there was no cause for concern.
"We're not expecting anything dramatic on Friday according to our modelling data. Friday looks like being a relatively average sort of day," he said.
The e-mail apparently from an office in Qatar and sent under the title of "urgent warning" - says workers are trying to secure buildings to prevent flying debris.
It cautions that a weather system is moving down the Gulf and winds could reach as much as 60mph (96.5kph), causing huge waves of more than five metres.
"Please inform everybody about this expected adverse weather condition. According to the forecast the wind speeds are likely to increase as the system moves down the Gulf and it is expected to reach Dubai on Friday!!!" the message says.
It adds that people should stay indoors on Friday and "avoid the beaches" because of the massive waves.
"Our office in Raslafan, Qatar has closed all operations and they are now trying to secure everything as far as possible to prevent flying debris," the e-mail, which is sent anonymously, continues.
Targett said wind speeds as high as those mentioned in the e-mail were "very uncommon" in the UAE."
"We might get about 15 knots (about 27kph), something of that order, on Friday. It's possible we're looking at a fresh southerly, but we're not looking at anything dramatic.
"If there was an extreme weather system in the Gulf region that could affect Dubai, forecasters here would be aware," he said.
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