A sudden dust storm blew over Doha on Wednesday afternoon, which resulted in a sharp drop in visibility and caught people unawares.
Dusty conditions were reported from other parts of Qatar, too, along with rain, strong winds and poor visibility.
The storm in Doha did not last long but was intense enough to leave buildings and vehicles coated in dust.
People took to social media, posting images and videos of the storm that swept the capital and beyond.
Explaining the phenomenon, the Met department tweeted in the afternoon (after 3pm) that “Doha is being affected by dust due to temporary, strong downdraft winds resulting from thunder cells in the north”. It also said visibility was expected to improve gradually and advised people to be careful in view of the prevailing conditions.
Earlier, the weather office had warned that thunder cells had been detected towards Ghuwairiyah and Sheehaniyah. “Watch out for strong winds and low visibility,” it said on Twitter.
Thundery rain was reported from the north of Sheehaniyah and west of Al Khor, accompanied by windy and dusty conditions that led to a drop in visibility.
Sometime later, the Met department tweeted that the rain had moved eastward towards the Al Khor coast and another thunder cell had formed southwest of Sheehaniyah. Thunder cells were detected towards Batna, too, along with temporary strong winds and poor visibility due to dust, while similar conditions were also reported from the Abu Samra road and Karanah.
The weather office later said the dust was expected to dissipate and visibility would improve gradually in all areas.
Forecast for Thursday
Low visibility is expected at some places in the early hours of Thursday, the Met department said.
Visibility may drop to 2km or less in these areas, according to the weather report.
For inshore areas, misty to foggy conditions are expected in some places at first. This is to be followed by a hot day with some clouds and there is also a weak chance of rain. It will be relatively humid by night.
Hazy to misty conditions are also likely in offshore areas along with some clouds.
Visibility, meanwhile, could drop to 3km or less in some places at first and during rain in the central areas.
On Wednesday, a maximum temperature of 46C was recorded in Sheehaniyah and Batna, followed by 45C in the Qatar University area, Al Rayyan and other places. In the Doha airport area the mercury rose to 43C.
The maximum temperature on Thursday is expected to be 43C in Mesaieed and Wakrah, and 42C in Doha and Abu Samra.
The storm in Doha did not last long but was intense enough to leave buildings and vehicles coated in dust.
People took to social media, posting images and videos of the storm that swept the capital and beyond.
Explaining the phenomenon, the Met department tweeted in the afternoon (after 3pm) that “Doha is being affected by dust due to temporary, strong downdraft winds resulting from thunder cells in the north”. It also said visibility was expected to improve gradually and advised people to be careful in view of the prevailing conditions.
Earlier, the weather office had warned that thunder cells had been detected towards Ghuwairiyah and Sheehaniyah. “Watch out for strong winds and low visibility,” it said on Twitter.
Thundery rain was reported from the north of Sheehaniyah and west of Al Khor, accompanied by windy and dusty conditions that led to a drop in visibility.
Sometime later, the Met department tweeted that the rain had moved eastward towards the Al Khor coast and another thunder cell had formed southwest of Sheehaniyah. Thunder cells were detected towards Batna, too, along with temporary strong winds and poor visibility due to dust, while similar conditions were also reported from the Abu Samra road and Karanah.
The weather office later said the dust was expected to dissipate and visibility would improve gradually in all areas.
Forecast for Thursday
Low visibility is expected at some places in the early hours of Thursday, the Met department said.
Visibility may drop to 2km or less in these areas, according to the weather report.
For inshore areas, misty to foggy conditions are expected in some places at first. This is to be followed by a hot day with some clouds and there is also a weak chance of rain. It will be relatively humid by night.
Hazy to misty conditions are also likely in offshore areas along with some clouds.
Visibility, meanwhile, could drop to 3km or less in some places at first and during rain in the central areas.
On Wednesday, a maximum temperature of 46C was recorded in Sheehaniyah and Batna, followed by 45C in the Qatar University area, Al Rayyan and other places. In the Doha airport area the mercury rose to 43C.
The maximum temperature on Thursday is expected to be 43C in Mesaieed and Wakrah, and 42C in Doha and Abu Samra.
