UAE sandstorm blows away forecasts

Dubai: Strong southerly winds enveloped the UAE in a dense pall of sand on Sunday, turning day into dusk and making school and office runs particularly testing.

The concentration of dust and particulate matter in the atmosphere was so high in some quarters of the country on Sunday that traffic slowed to a crawl and visibility dropped to less than 100 metres.

Police in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah reported no injuries as a result of traffic incidents amid the sandstorm.

Skyscrapers in Dubai were completely hidden from sight at various points through the day.

Forecast

The UAE's National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology forecast windspeeds of up to 80 kph yesterday and predicted that an unstable depression moving through the region would probably not clear out until later on Monday.

Wild rumours of a cyclone hitting the UAE swirled on social network sites but were promptly dismissed by weather officials.

High winds created shifting sand patterns on the roads and highways and pummelled vehicles on the road. Forecasters had on Saturday predicted that the "weather would be clear on Sunday, but it changed suddenly from late last night", Lieutenant Badr Ahmad Al Zafein from the Weather Prediction Section of Dubai Police, said on Sunday.

Precautionary steps

"Sand shifting takes place and sandy patches form on the sides of roads, especially highways, which motorists should be wary of and avoid driving into as it can cause a car to swerve if it hits the sand at a high speed," Al Zafein said.

Some roads were partially closed and diversions put in place as the sandstorm engulfed the country, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said.

The proactive steps were taken in view of the huge amount of sand accumulated on some roads that could lead to motorists losing control of their vehicles, said Hussain Al Banna, traffic director at the RTA's Traffic and Roads Agency.

"The Lahbab road has been completely closed to traffic since earlier today [Sunday], due to dangerous levels of sand accumulated on the road. This was necessary because motorists may otherwise lose control as sand makes the roads slippery," Al Banna said.

Al Qudra road and some lanes on roads in Jebel Ali were also closed to traffic as RTA officials remained on high alert right from the morning.

‘In was a nightmare'

In Abu Dhabi, driving was a nightmare, said Colonel Khamis Mohammad, deputy director of the traffic department.

"The road between Abu Dhabi and Al Saleh, especially in the Hamra region, Abu Dhabi-Al Ain in the Haffar region are especially hazardous in these conditions, making driving dangerous due to limited visibility and sand-covered road," he said.

Report by Dina Aboul Hosn, Mariam Al Serkal, Iman Sherif and Rayeesa Absal