Most parts of Qatar are likely to continue experiencing foggy conditions today and tomorrow, the Met department has said.
People have been advised to be cautious and drive carefully in view of the conditions.
Yesterday, thick fog was reported from different parts of the country, including Doha, where motorists found it difficult to negotiate the roads early in the morning while heading to work or school to drop their children. The situation improved by 8am, with the weather office confirming in a tweet that the fog had dissipated and visibility improved in all areas.
Meanwhile, the Met department reported yesterday that misty to foggy conditions late at night and early in the morning were expected to continue over most areas today and tomorrow, with visibility dropping below 2km at many places and to zero in areas lying along the western coast and the central parts of Qatar.
Today’s detailed forecast for inshore areas says poor visibility due to hazy to misty/foggy conditions are expected in the early hours of the day, followed by mild conditions during the day. It will be relatively cold by night.
Hazy to misty conditions are also expected in some offshore areas at first along with clouds.
With the foggy spell likely to continue for a while, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and Met department advised motorists to follow safety instructions while driving in the fog.
On social media, the MoI urged motorists not to use hazard lights while driving even in the fog as these are meant only for emergency stopping. Instead, fog lights should be used, it said.
The ministry also asked motorists to slow down while driving in foggy conditions, leave sufficient space between vehicles and avoid overtaking and lane-changing except in ideal conditions.
The met department, while stressing the need to exercise due caution, advised motorists not to get distracted by taking photographs while driving in foggy conditions.
Several areas of Doha witnessed long queues of vehicles early yesterday morning due to low visibility, leading to slow movement along many roads. Many people, it was learnt, found it difficult to reach their destinations on time due to the slow traffic.
The expressway to Al Khor was congested as vehicles were seen in bumper-to-bumper conditions at several places along the road.  
“It took me more than one hour to reach Gharaffa from Al Mamoura, which generally takes about 20-25 minutes. It was a very painful drive and my legs were almost numb by the time I reached office,” a motorist said.