Saudi Arabia: Gulf sandstorm continues with heavy rains expected

Climatologist Khalid al-Zaaq confirmed the sandstorm that hit the Gulf yesterday will continue throughout today with the same strong winds, but without the high levels of dust because yesterday's winds have carried away most of the sand.

Zaaq told al-Araby al-Jadeed, "The storm is expected to go on until Friday before it dies down at dawn but there will not be as much dust as yesterday because the storm has swept away most of the sand that was on the ground. The storm hasn't been a surprise, we issued a warning around ten days ago. The storm is a result of a low-pressure area in northern and southern Iraq."

Zaaq predicts heavy rain next week in Saudi Arabia and possibly in other parts of the Gulf. He added, "It is possible the sandstorm will reach southern Saudi Arabia but it will not affect the military forces taking part in Operation Decisive Storm."

Yesterday's sandstorm that hit the gulf and Saudi Arabia was the strongest in years. The storm blanketed the northern, eastern and central parts of Kingdom day and night, reducing visibility to less than 50 metres in most areas, with wind speeds reaching 70 kilometres per hour. The Education Ministry closed schools today in over 45 cities for the first time in two years, and Saudi Airlines delayed some flights and trains to and from Riyadh were cancelled.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.