Hazy and clear skies are to continue over most of the governorates with moderate to fresh wind causing dust to rise over desert and open areas and noticeable drop in temperature.
There are chances of late night to early morning low-level clouds or fog patches over Al-Buraimi, Al-Dahirah and Al-Wusta governorates.
Fishermen have been closely monitoring the marine weather forecast.
According to the Oman Met Office, cloud advection and dust over the Oman Sea coast and moderate to fresh wind are also expected to continue over most of the governorates. Also, there is a chance of dust rising over desert and open areas and a noticeable drop in temperature.
Over Oman Sea, the coastal wind will be northerly to northeasterly, light to moderate and occasionally fresh, and over the rest of the country, winds will be westerly to northwesterly moderate to fresh. Meanwhile, this may not be the best time to opt for an outing.
“I went to my home town but stayed indoors mainly because of the dust content in the air. For people with asthma, this situation can create health issues. It is important to wear a mask or use a wet towel,” said a resident from South Sharqiya.
According to the weather forecaster at Oman Met Office, the northwesterly wind should ease down by the middle of this week.
“The open areas, especially the desert areas, experienced wind speed of 15 to 25 knots. The blowing of dust continued in some places on Saturday too, but visibility has been getting better,” said the weather forecaster at Oman Met Office.
“The visibility at Muscat Airport is 6000 meters (Saturday evening). The weather is hazy and dusty and will continue northwesterly, but the question is how strong it can be. On Sunday there is a chance for us to see the blueness of the sky. By January 25, we might be able to see the temperature coming back to normal,” explained the weather expert.
Many households had to clear dust from home that had gathered in during the weekend of strong winds.
Driving should be careful, said Ahmed al Mahrouqi, a safety expert and instructor, “It took me 45 minutes for me to reach from Izz to Adham where otherwise it should have just taken me 25 minutes but I was driving at the speed of 60 to 75 km per hour.
Driving during strong wind can be dangerous and is not a joke. If stuck in strong winds, it is better to stop and drive when it is back to normal because strong winds can take control of your car if you are driving fast,” advised Ahmed.
“If you are driving at 100 km per hour and you are facing a strong wind, it is easy for it to take the car. You have to be very careful,” he urged.
