Sandstorm threatens Dubai weekend whiteout

STORM BREWING: Poor visibility is expected to bring Dubai to a near standstill.

A sandstorm may engulf Dubai on Thursday evening, bringing with it near gale-force winds and making driving conditions difficult for motorists, the met office warned on Wednesday.

Dubai Meteorological Office said wind speeds of up to 30 knots were expected to hit the UAE's west coast over the weekend, caused by a high-pressure system building over Saudi Arabia, and strong northwesterly winds blowing in from Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.

A senior forecaster at the met office urged drivers to be careful on the roads, especially those in open inland areas particularly at risk from sandstorms.

High winds could also prevent aircraft from landing at Dubai International Airport due to poor visibility, the forecaster said.

He said construction workers were also at risk, and warned boats on the west coast not to go out over the weekend.

“Waves could reach up to 18 feet off the UAE coast; we may issue a marine warning [on Friday] to advise boats to stay off the water,” the forecaster told ArabianBusiness.com.

According to the met office, the temperature during the day in Dubai is not expected to pass 20 degrees Celsius on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the night temperature is forecast to drop to 16 degrees Celsius.

The high winds are a result of the Shamal wind, a wave of high pressure that funnels through the Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The winds can last three to 40 days and are thought to be the most hazardous weather condition in the region.

The sandstorm warning comes just as the UAE is recovering from three days of heavy rains earlier this month, causing widespread flooding that resulted in traffic chaos across much of the Emirates.

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