Motorists cautioned as dust storms expected to hit country after fog

Dubai: Very strong Shammal winds with speed of over 45 kmp/h will hit the country on Wednesday whipping up dust, according to the Dubai Meteorological office.

The winds will bring down temperature by three to four degrees to about 24 degrees Celsius. The unsettled weather will continue till Friday morning when it will start to clear up.

Motorists should be on the alert early on Tuesday morning as there is still a chance of fog. On Monday morning, thick fog shrouded the emirates, bringing visibility down to 100 meters.

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The fog descended over Dubai at around 3.30am and only dissipated by 8.30am. Schoolchildren waiting for their early morning bus looked like ghostly figures.

The fog delayed flights in Abu Dhabi. Residents in the capital should also be on alert for possible early morning fog on Tuesday, according to the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology. Unlike Monday, the fog is likely to stay on from 3am to 9am on Tuesday.

"Fog is not unusual this time of the year," said Dr S.K. Gupta, duty forecaster Dubai Meteorological office, noting that Dubai had once experienced fog for six consecutive days. Fog occurs when there is very light wind, absolute clear skies, high humidity and cold nights.

On Wednesday, the sea will be very rough and a marine warning will go out to boatmen, according to the Dubai weatherman. The winds offshore will be between 25 to 30 knots, the maximum being over 55 kmp/h.