UAE weather: Sandstorm over but dusty and cloudy conditions to continue


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The disruptions caused by sandstorms across the UAE have ended, but it will continue to be dusty and cloudy at times for the rest of this week.

Sandstorms led to two days of disruption earlier this week, causing Dubai and Abu Dhabi to be blanketed in sand and dust, with visibility falling to 500 metres in some areas.

The unstable weather caused the cancellation of 44 flights and 12 diversions at the Dubai International Airport.

On Tuesday, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and the National Centre of Meteorology announced the end of the extreme weather.

However, the weather centre says in its forecast for the remainder of the week that it will continue to be dusty and cloudy in parts, with chances of rain in some areas of the country.

“Dusty and partly cloudy at times, with a chance of rainy convective clouds formation eastwards in the afternoon. Light to moderate south-easterly and south-westerly winds becoming north-westerly, fresh at times, causing blowing dust during the daytime, with a speed of 15 to 25 reaching 40 kilometres per hour,” it said in the forecast for Thursday.

From Friday to Sunday, the weather is expected to be similar, but winds will be stronger during the weekend, blowing dust and sand at speeds of up to 45 kilometres an hour.

Temperatures across the country will remain hot, with highs of 44°C in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Thursday and Friday and up to 45°C during the weekend.

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

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Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):

Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE

Match is on BeIN Sports

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  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
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  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog

Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.

Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books

Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella

Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Six large-scale objects on show
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  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
MATCH INFO

AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports

Updated: August 17, 2022, 6:30 AM`