Heavy Fog: Sharjah flights delayed; Low visibility in some parts of Dubai

Published Monday, February 11, 2013

Picture Taken by Bojan Jazic an Emirates 24|7 reader

Flights to and from Sharjah International airport have been affected due to poor visibility and dense fog this morning.

A Sharjah International Airport official this morning said that all flights arriving into Sharjah have been delayed. All departures after 3.30am have also been affected.

Air Arabia flights from Istanbul, Peshawar and Sialkot in Pakistan; Bangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, and several other destinations in India and Khartoum in Africa have been delayed.

“We are expecting the visibility to improve within the next few hours,” the official said.

However most flights in other international airports including Abu Dhabi and Dubai are on schedule. Except for some minor delays

Several parts of the UAE were blanketed by heavy fog.

"The city of Dubai was encircled with a ring of fog, that at times, was so thick, you could not see 10 metres in front of your car even with headlights on," said R Kumar, who commutes in from Al Ain border to Dubai everyday.

"I almost lost my way coming in. But surprisingly, when I was in the city, the fog thinned out substantially," he said.

"However, outside, even though most of us were crawling at about 60-80 kmph, other were rushing by with thweir hazard lights on as if it was a normal day. No wonder accidents happen. It is not the conditions, but the motorists," he added.

While the forecast for Dubai is hazy weather with temperatures at 17 degree centigrade, Sharjah witnessed dense fog.

Picture Taken by Rajesh Parameswaran an Emirates 24|7 reader

Early morning motorists from Dubai's Silicon Oasis found it difficult to cruise through the roads because of heavy fog.

Visibility was reduced to 4km in Dubai, while it was a mere 1km in Sharjah.

Officials have urged motorists to drive carefully and follow traffic rules, especially after the some fatal accidents that occured in the recent past.

Other emirates such as Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah was also reported to be foggy.

Meanwhile, humidity in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is expected to be 88 per cent, while in Sharjah will rise to hit about 94 per cent with Ras Al Khaimah experiencing 100 per cent humidity.

Picture Taken by Arun Kumar Bhatia an Emirates 24|7 reader