The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), has advised Nigerians to take precautions against the prevailing dust hazy weather conditions across the country.
NiMet gave the warning in a statement by Mr Zakariyau Abdulrasheed, General Manager, Network Services, for the Director of Weather Forecasting Services, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Abdulrasheed said that a considerable amount of dust had been released into the atmosphere over the source region in southern Chad and Niger Republic.
He said that strong North-easterly winds of about 20 kilometres at the surface and 40 kilometres at about 900m above had been observed over the region.
He said this was responsible for the lifting and southward propagation of dust into the country.
According to him, some stations over the northern parts of the country are already in hazy conditions with visibility as low as 200m, especially over north-eastern cities.
“A fresh dust plume is expected to propagate into the country in the next 24 hours and this will further deteriorate horizontal visibilities across the country.
“Combined with the dust already in suspension for the past two days, further deterioration in horizontal visibilities to values below 1000m is expected especially over the northern parts of the country.
“Southward transportation of the dust is anticipated to further deteriorate the horizontal visibility over the central states and the southern cities in dust haze condition with visibility ranging from 1500 – 5000m.
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“Some cities over these regions are expected to be in visibility less than 1000m,” he said.
Abdulrasheed said that the expected state of the atmosphere in the coming days would likely disrupt flight operations.
He added that cancellation and delay of flights at some airports across the country were anticipated, especially over the northern cities.
He also advised road users to exercise caution and avoid speeding especially during early morning period when horizontal visibility is impaired by fog, mist or dust haze.
“Due to increased concentration of dust, people allergic to dust are advised to take necessary precautions, reduce their exposure to dust and take their medications to alleviate its effect on their health.
“The Nigerian Meteorological Agency will continue to monitor the weather and keep the public updated by providing reliable daily weather forecast,” he said. (NAN)
