Under surveillance | A wave of dense dust has formed in northern Iraq and is heading towards Baghdad and possibly the Gulf countries

Arab Weather - Sinan Khalaf - The weather forecasting staff at the "Arab Weather Regional Center" is monitoring around the clock a wave of thick dust that formed inside Iraqi territory near the border with Syria, and began to move gradually towards the south amid expectations of its arrival and direct impact on the capital Baghdad this evening and then the southern parts of the country, accompanied by a significant decrease and perhaps a lack of horizontal visibility.

Watch the movement of clouds and dust via satellite here

Eyes on Kuwait and Saudi Arabia

Expectations of a deepening dust wave and its impact on cities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh

The latest outputs of computer simulation systems for wind movement indicate that the dust wave currently centered in Iraq will later move towards the State of Kuwait and parts of eastern and central Saudi Arabia, including Hafar Al-Batin, the eastern parts of the Kingdom and the eastern Riyadh region, accompanied by a significant decrease in horizontal visibility.

Reasons for the formation of the dust wave today

These winds are the result of the large temperature differences between the north and south of the Arabian Peninsula, as the northern regions have begun to be affected by the Siberian high pressure system, which is rapidly lowering temperatures, while hotter weather prevails in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, pushing strong winds from the north towards the south, causing dense dust waves.

These weather conditions require attention from:

• Risk of reduced horizontal visibility due to dust and dirt
• Risk of respiratory and eye irritation in patients with dust