February 02, (THEWILL) – There are indications that air travellers may experience slight flight disruptions, following a weather alert issued by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET.
The agency, on Thursday, alerted stakeholders and the general public on the possibility of deterioration in visibility, as a result of observed dust haze propagated into the country from the source region.
According to the release from the Agency, “the weather reports from the country, indicating the approximate position of Inter-Tropical Discontinuity (ITD). Winds at 10 metres and 800 metres (925hPa) above the ground surface indicate favourable conditions for further Dust-Haze propagations into the nation, which will worsen horizontal visibility.”
The release further states that observation from the source region indicates that “Niger (Maine-Soroa, Goure, Maradi, N-guigmi, Diffa, 61091, Bila and Agadez) and Chad (Faya-Largeau and Ndjamena) have both reported Dust-Haze with poor horizontal visibility.”
Hence, NiMet expects that in the next few hours, strong winds at 800m will spread more dust into the country thus, causing deterioration in horizontal visibility.
NiMet further revealed that in the next 24 hours, there are prospects of Thick Dust Haze (in poor horizontal visibility, less than1000m) over Katsina, Kano, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Borno, Adamawa, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and Kaduna states; while Northcentral states are expected to report Moderate Dust-Haze (visibility of 2–5km). This weather condition is expected to persist for the next 72 hours.
NiMet has, therefore, advised members of the public to take necessary precautions due to dust particles presently in suspension over the atmosphere.
Also, individuals with respiratory ailments are advised to protect themselves as the current weather condition is not good for their health. Night-time cold temperatures should be expected so warm clothes are advised for little children.
Airline operators are also advised to avail themselves of weather reports from NiMet for effective planning in their operations.
NiMet assures that its Central Forecast Office (CFO) will continue to monitor the weather and provide updates when necessary.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
