Wicked sandstorm whips through the Arabian Peninsula

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A massive sandstorm is tracking across parts of the Middle East this week. The storm filled Saudi Arabia’s air with a thick, yellow-brown haze on Wednesday and has since spread across the peninsula into the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen on Thursday.

A ridge of high pressure has built over the region, and strong winds from the north are whipping across the dry, desert landscape. A visible satellite animation from Scott Bachmeier at the CIMSS Satellite Blog shows the storm as it blew south across the Arabian Peninsula on Thursday.

according to the BBC, which reports that although sandstorms are a relatively common occurrence in this part of the world, the magnitude of this storm has surprised local residents. “Last time I have seen [a storm], it was not up to this,” a resident of Dubai told the BBC. “I felt very bad, and I hear that there were some accidents already on Dubai’s roads.”

Flights in and out of the region have been delayed and canceled, and schools were closed on Thursday, the AP reports:

Authorities in Qatar did indeed order schools in the country closed, citing “extreme weather conditions.” Some schools in Saudi Arabia were also shut.

Dubai’s airport operator said four flights bound for Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest hub for international air traffic, were diverted to nearby airports because of the inclement weather. Eight other flights were diverted to the alternate Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central from other regional airports.

Photos shared on social media around Dubai show the thick, yellow dust and sand hanging in the air on Thursday. Some people chose to wear face masks to keep from inhaling the harmful dust. According to the AP, hospitals were treating patients for breathing difficulties because of the sand.


Pics at link below

Wicked sandstorm whips through the Arabian Peninsula - The Washington Post

 

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Sandstorm brings down flag from world’s tallest flagpole

The giant Saudi flag hoisted onto the world's tallest flagpole was brought down by powerful winds amid a sandstorm in Jeddah on Friday afternoon.
Pictures of the flag that was ripped off the pole were posted on social media by passersby. The flagpole, however, did not seem to be damaged.
Hoisted on Sept. 23, 2014, during the country's 84th National Day, the flag is 49.5 meters long, 33 meters wide, 1,635 square meters and weighs 570 kilograms.
The 170-meter-high flagpole is located at the 26,000-square-meter King Abdullah Square on the intersection of Andalus Road and King Abdullah Road in Jeddah.
Sharif Al-Bahhar, an engineer involved in the project, had been quoted in published reports during the inaugural rites as saying the flagpole is made from 500 tons of steel in a cylindrical shape with sufficient width to accommodate the service units of the project, and allow workers to climb to the top for maintenance.
Sharif Al-Bahhar, engineer of the project
He said the facilities incorporated into the project include a unit to gauge the wind direction and speed, atmospheric humidity, volume of rain and for the aircraft-warning light.
“Separate units would absorb the shock of the flutter and ensure the stability of the pole, which is fire resistance,” he said.
Maintenance personnel at the square, however, apparently underestimated the strength of Friday’s winds and failed to bring down the flag on time, say observers.


Sandstorm brings down flag from world’s tallest flagpole | Arab News

 

[Madali]

A sign?