People in Qatar experienced yet another foggy morning on Tuesday, which brought down visibility and led to slow traffic movement on a number of roads.
Poor visibility is expected in most parts of the country – as well as offshore areas - in the early hours of Wednesday as well, the Qatar Met department said.
Visibility will range from 4-7km, decreasing to 800m or less in some places at first.
On Tuesday, fog affected both the eastern and western coasts of Qatar, including places such as Doha, Dukhan, Al Khor, Shehaimiya, Umm Bab and several others, the Met department tweeted.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI), meanwhile, reported on social media that the foggy spell which started on Monday evening continued until Tuesday morning, resulting in poor visibility all over Qatar.
In a post on Facebook, the MoI said traffic flow was generally slow due to low visibility although no heavy gridlocks had been reported until then. Some road accidents, though, were reported and the sites had been cleared, it added.
Traffic patrols were stationed in different locations to control and monitor vehicular flow, the ministry said, urging people to co-operate with them and follow their instructions.
The MoI also reminded motorists to “drive at speeds that suit the weather and allow more distance between vehicles”. “Turn on your fog lights and low-beam lights and don’t use hazard lights while driving. Turn them on only when you stop the vehicle in an emergency,” it added.
While conditions improved gradually in Doha and most others parts of the country as the fog cleared, the Met department said visibility continued to be low in places along the western coast, such as Dukhan.
Like on Monday, the fog returned late in the afternoon (4-4.30pm) Tuesday, with visibility dropping sharply in places such as the Doha Corniche and West Bay. But the fog did not intensify further in most Doha areas for several hours.
However, the Met department tweeted later in the evening that visibility was down to 300m in the Hamad International Airport area while zero visibility was reported from Al Khor, Al Ruwais and Abu Samra due to thick fog.
Besides roads within the city, sources told Gulf Times that regular users of highways connecting Doha with places like Mesaieed, Ras Laffan and Dukhan had to cope with slower-than-usual traffic in the morning due to the dense fog.
A bus driver said it took him nearly 3 hours and 45 minutes to reach Ras Laffan Industrial City on Tuesday. Similar experiences were narrated by other residents who also travel to far-off destinations for work.
Some of the commuters said they parked their vehicles on service roads along the highways for some time and resumed driving only after the conditions improved.
Abdulla al-Mannai, director of the Met department, said the fog subsided as the day went on and conditions improved significantly.
The detailed forecast for Wednesday is that it will be foggy in most areas at first, followed by mild daytime conditions. Some clouds are also expected and it will be misty in some places.
Most offshore areas will see misty to foggy conditions in the early hours along with clouds.
The minimum temperature will be 14C in Abu Samra, while in Doha it will be 18C. The maximum, on the other hand, will be 27C in Abu Samra and 26C in Doha, according to the weather report.
On Tuesday, a minimum temperature of 14C was recorded in Dukhan, while the maximum was 29C in Ghuwairiyah. In Doha, the mercury level ranged from 18C to 24C.
Poor visibility is expected in most parts of the country – as well as offshore areas - in the early hours of Wednesday as well, the Qatar Met department said.
Visibility will range from 4-7km, decreasing to 800m or less in some places at first.
On Tuesday, fog affected both the eastern and western coasts of Qatar, including places such as Doha, Dukhan, Al Khor, Shehaimiya, Umm Bab and several others, the Met department tweeted.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI), meanwhile, reported on social media that the foggy spell which started on Monday evening continued until Tuesday morning, resulting in poor visibility all over Qatar.
In a post on Facebook, the MoI said traffic flow was generally slow due to low visibility although no heavy gridlocks had been reported until then. Some road accidents, though, were reported and the sites had been cleared, it added.
Traffic patrols were stationed in different locations to control and monitor vehicular flow, the ministry said, urging people to co-operate with them and follow their instructions.
The MoI also reminded motorists to “drive at speeds that suit the weather and allow more distance between vehicles”. “Turn on your fog lights and low-beam lights and don’t use hazard lights while driving. Turn them on only when you stop the vehicle in an emergency,” it added.
While conditions improved gradually in Doha and most others parts of the country as the fog cleared, the Met department said visibility continued to be low in places along the western coast, such as Dukhan.
Like on Monday, the fog returned late in the afternoon (4-4.30pm) Tuesday, with visibility dropping sharply in places such as the Doha Corniche and West Bay. But the fog did not intensify further in most Doha areas for several hours.
However, the Met department tweeted later in the evening that visibility was down to 300m in the Hamad International Airport area while zero visibility was reported from Al Khor, Al Ruwais and Abu Samra due to thick fog.
Besides roads within the city, sources told Gulf Times that regular users of highways connecting Doha with places like Mesaieed, Ras Laffan and Dukhan had to cope with slower-than-usual traffic in the morning due to the dense fog.
A bus driver said it took him nearly 3 hours and 45 minutes to reach Ras Laffan Industrial City on Tuesday. Similar experiences were narrated by other residents who also travel to far-off destinations for work.
Some of the commuters said they parked their vehicles on service roads along the highways for some time and resumed driving only after the conditions improved.
Abdulla al-Mannai, director of the Met department, said the fog subsided as the day went on and conditions improved significantly.
The detailed forecast for Wednesday is that it will be foggy in most areas at first, followed by mild daytime conditions. Some clouds are also expected and it will be misty in some places.
Most offshore areas will see misty to foggy conditions in the early hours along with clouds.
The minimum temperature will be 14C in Abu Samra, while in Doha it will be 18C. The maximum, on the other hand, will be 27C in Abu Samra and 26C in Doha, according to the weather report.
On Tuesday, a minimum temperature of 14C was recorded in Dukhan, while the maximum was 29C in Ghuwairiyah. In Doha, the mercury level ranged from 18C to 24C.
