The Presidency for Meteorology and Environmental Protection (PME) in the Eastern Province said it is likely that dust storms will continue at their current levels until Saturday after which they will begin to recede. A source at PME said that some people have become concerned about the howling sound of the wind that accompanies the dust storms coming from Iraq. He pointed out, however, that such storms are not new in the Arabian Peninsula. They take place annually under the pressure of winds coming from the east of the Arabian Peninsula. The source said the winds that are blowing over the region will continue at their current levels before the weather starts to gradually improve on Saturday. At the same time, the source called on the public to take precautions, especially those people traveling on highways as visibility is greatly reduced. In a report issued Wednesday, the PME pointed out that the northwest to northeast winds are receding. However, the weather in general is hot and dust storms will continue. In another development, Muhammad Abu Zeid, Public Relations Manager of Saudi Railways Organization (SRO), said no changes have been made to the timetable of trains due to the dust storms, pointing out that railways are among the most efficient means of transport in bad weather conditions. He emphasized that the dust storms that have swept the Eastern Province have not created any problems for train traffic. He said the SRO takes precautions to deal with emergency situations in such weather conditions through the deployment of maintenance teams along the railway line. This is in addition to deploying other teams to report sudden breakdowns through direct calls with the Center for Guiding Train Drivers at SRO headquarters in Dammam.
