UAE | Environment
Windy conditions reduce visibility on Dubai roads
Strong winds have been kicking off dust and sands in open areas as weathermen expect hot windy conditions for the next three days in the emirates.
- By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief, and Alice Johnson, Staff Reporter
- Published: 10:27 May 25, 2008
- Maximum temperatures on Sunday will reach 41C with a minimum temperature of 29C.
- Image Credit: Alice Johnson/Gulf News
Al Ain: Strong winds have been kicking up dust and sand in open areas, with weathermen expecting hot windy conditions for the next three days in the UAE.
The hot winds have been coming in from the southern desert, said Dr S.K. Gupta, a duty forecaster at the Dubai Airport Meteorological Office. The winds will also raise the temperature in the cities, particularly in desert areas, he said.
The Met Office has advised motorists to drive carefully on highways as winds have been blowing up sand and dust, reducing visibility.
Dust has not yet affected visibility in Dubai and other coastal areas.
"We registered visibility as five to six kilometres in Dubai and that's not a problem," he said.
The south-easterly winds have been coming in from the Empty Quarter, a huge desert area on the UAE-Saudi Arabian border.
The temperature reaches a very high level during the day in this desert area making the winds unbearably hot.
"We expect a change in the wind direction after a few days," said Dr Gupta, adding that the temperature in Dubai would be hot but the humidity level would remain low.
The wind, blowing at a speed of 18 knots, also created problems for people living in Al Ain and the surrounding areas.
Pedestrians were seen covering their faces with cloths to protect them from the hot winds.
Cloudy times
According to the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), temperatures will further increase all over the UAE and conditions will become hazy at night.
Some cloud will also appear in the eastern emirates in the afternoon but there is no chance of rain. Wind speed will be generally seven to 14 knots, but could reach 18 knots in the next 48 hours, said a NCMS forecast.
The sea is expected to be normal with two to four-foot high waves.
| Temperature | ||||
| City |
Temperature
(degree Celsius) |
Humidity
(percentage) |
||
|
Max
|
Min
|
Max
|
Min
|
|
| Al Ain |
43
|
27
|
65
|
20
|
| Abu Dhabi |
41
|
25
|
80
|
25
|
| Dubai |
40
|
27
|
75
|
20
|
| Sharjah |
41
|
25
|
75
|
25
|
| Ajman |
40
|
26
|
70
|
25
|
| UAQ |
41
|
27
|
70
|
25
|
| RAK |
42
|
25
|
75
|
20
|
| Fujairah |
36
|
30
|
75
|
35
|
| Source: The NCMS |
Gulf News
|
|||
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