On Monday in Qatar a strong sand storm swept across the country due to which the visibility has reduced significantly. The sandstorm which started on Monday with wind speed of around 30 kmph gusting up to 60 kmph gradually increased on Tuesday. Wednesday is expected to be much worse. The sandstorm is due to ‘quas winds’. Quas winds are strong southeasterly winds which usually occur when a low pressure advances in this region, which is the case right now.
Quas winds are frequent between December to April. These winds are moisture laden, as they come from the gulf and cause squally thunderstorms. These winds usually last for three to four days. The nearly 200 km long Tour of Qatar road race was also affected with riders facing blowing dust and poor visibility conditions. The pollution levels had risen up to 66 times the permissible limits and people had to resort to wearing gas masks to move around the streets.
These sandstorms have become more frequent because of drying up of wetlands and deficient rainfall over the region. Southwest Iran is the worst affected as poor visibility and pollution has led to closure of schools and flight disruptions. Last year there were nine emergency days during which the pollution levels were dangerous coupled with low visibility.
Even low lying areas of northern Israel witnessed snow last Wednesday. Meanwhile, heavy rain will provide much needed relief to the ongoing drought across the Levant countries. Beirut is likely to get at least 70 mm of rain till weekend. In the Beqaa Valley, where thousands of Syrian refugees are living in temporary shelters, up to 50 cm of snow is likely to increase their misery. Temperatures in the region are expected to fall below freezing temperature overnight & persist during the week.