Dust storm accompanied by strong winds (40-48km/h) swept Jeddah and surrounding areas Monday with visibility reduced by half during most of the day. The inclement weather here was the result of rain and thunderstorms in the northern regions of the Kingdom mainly Tabuk, Hail and Al-Jouf. From early Monday morning, the air in Jeddah was full of dust and sand with winds blowing at 40-48 km/h instead of the usual 15-18 km/h. Traffic on the city's streets was snarled and at times completely halted. Visibility on Monday was 1/2 km to 1 km with 80 percent humidity. The minimum temperature was 21 degrees C and the maximum was 32 degrees C, said Fahad Al-Misfar, an official at the Jeddah office of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME). The PME also forecast rain in Jeddah late Monday night. “There will be no dusty weather on Tuesday because the direction of the winds will change,” he said. “At the moment there is a possibility of rain extending to the area of Madina and the adjacent coast, located between Yanbu, Rabegh and parts of the region of Makkah,” he added. The PME also said the climate is being affected by warm air and active winds increasing the likelihood of rainfall, and dust storms accompanied by a rise in temperature in areas in the north and west of the Kingdom.
