High winds and waves in Arabian Gulf

Al Ain Strong Shamal winds have been raising 10 foot waves in the Arabian Gulf and pushing suspended dust into the emirates since Wednesday evening.

The weather system has been affecting a vast area of Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula.

Severe dust and sandstorms have been reported from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

“We expect dusty, hazy, and windy conditions across the emirates,” said a forecaster.

The conditions are expected to continue until Friday.

Fishing trawlers

Small fishing trawlers and sea travellers have warned to stay away from the sea. The conditions could also create problem for the people suffering from asthma and other dust allergies.

The forecasters said two parallel atmospheric low pressures over Iraq and high pressure over Egypt have destabilised the weather.

Dust, sandstorms

Strong winds have stirred up dust in the Iraqi planes and desert that has been travelling down to the gulf countries.

The winds have also been generating sandstorms in the eastern and central parts of Saudi Arabia.

The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) Wednesday reported 62km/h winds and 10 foot waves in the sea near Umm Al Sheif. Similar conditions were also reported from other UAE islands in the sea.

Conditions are also expected to get rough in the Gulf of Oman.

Visibility has dropped in parts of western region of Abu Dhabi including Liwa, Delma, and Al Bateen. The NCMS has also warned motorists to be careful behind the wheels as horizontal visibility is going to be affected.

Drop in temperatures

The centre forecast a drop intemperatures due to the north-westerly winds, saying the weather would Thursday be hazy.

Condition will continue to be hazy in general on Friday as fresh to strong north-westerly winds are likely to cause blow up dust affecting visibility in parts of the emirates. Sea will be rough to very rough.

Temperatures have reached as high as 48C in some desert areas of the country over the past several days, but the unstable weather has helped the mercury to slide a few degrees.

The NCMS said it expected daytime temperatures of 40 to 45C Thursday and Friday.