UAE weather warning as 60kph winds expected to kick up dust

DUBAI // Forecasters have issued a severe weather warning for the coming days, as winds are expected to hit 60kph.

The strong winds are expected to blow from this morning and will churn up dust, causing limited visibility on roads.

“Motorists must take care on the roads because of reduced visibility,” said a forecaster at the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology.

On average, winds will be between 25kph and 50kph on land, and up to 60kph off the coast.

The forecaster said visibility would be on average 3.5 kilometres because of dust in the air.

“During a dust storm the visibility will drop to 1km,” he said. “This is not a storm, just high winds raising the dust.”

Sea will also be rough from tomorrow afternoon, with waves reaching up to 2.5 metres offshore and more than 1 metre  onshore.

Temperatures have been high this week, reaching 39°C in parts of the country, although that is expected to drop to a high of 30°C in Abu Dhabi and 29°C  in Dubai.

Minimum temperatures this weekend will be 19°C in both cities and 17°C in Sharjah.

“The temperatures were high but it’s not abnormal for this time of the year,” the forecaster said.

“When the north-easterly winds penetrate interior of the country, the temperatures will be cooler.”

mcroucher@thenational.ae