UAE storm scatters Dh4,000 from man at ATM

The dust storm brought about by the strong winds kept UAE residents indoors, motorists careful and emergency services on standby had other unintended consequences.

An Egyptian man identified as Mohammad Ibrahim Abdul Salam found that withdrawing money in a storm comes with its own unique risks.

Salam withdrew Dh 4,000 at an ATM in the Al Khalidyah area of Abu Dhabi, according to Arabic daily Al Khaleej, when the strong gust of wind blew the money out of his hand.

Passers-by rushed to help the man collect the scattered notes and with great difficulty collected most of the money.

Mohammed said he was on his way to book a flight ticket to his country.

He added that he nearly lost hope, but was greatful to so many people for helping.

Meanwhile, the UAE will continue to witness hazy weather conditions for the next few days, with wind speeds going up to 70km per hour, the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) has said.

Temperatures have seen a steady decline over the past few days, with mercury dipping to 8°C in some areas of the country. The weatherman says “another fall in temperatures is expected” today, with “wind gradually decreasing during night over inland.”

Northwesterly winds may reach 70 km per hour at times in the country’s coastal and mountainous regions while in internal areas, they could go up to 50 km per hour according to the NCMS weather forecast.

A weather warning suggesting “strong northwesterly wind with blowing and in-suspension dust/sand causing significant poor visibility and very rough sea” has been issued by the NCMS for today.

Minimum temperatures of 9°C in the country’s mountainous areas, 11°C in internal areas and 17°C in coastal regions is forecasted for today while maximum temperatures could shoot up to 31°C in internal areas and mid-20s in coastal and mountainous regions.

Motorists are advised to maintain caution while driving due to poor visibility while beachgoers may want to give it a skip as seas are expected to be very rough.

Meanwhile, according to local media reports, schools and colleges in Kuwait and some cities in Saudi Arabia suspended classes yesterday due to bad weather conditions. A heavy blanket of dust was seen over some Saudi cities including Riyadh, while a number of accidents were reported in Bahrain yesterday due to poor visibility.

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