2012 goes out with a ‘bang’ as we watch the spectacular firework displays from the rooftop of a friend’s villa near the Burj Al Arab. The Burj Khalifa display is more distant and although more sophisticated, it is not as long and certainly, in our view, does not have the same ‘wow!’ factor that the children all love. The first day of the new year is spent as a family on the beach. It is very windy and this produces a little surf, so the Tribe have their first surf lesson from a surfing friend. The wind, however, leaves the rest of us huddled together and I decide that I really do prefer the calm, quiet days. Perhaps the Tribe just make so much noise that with the wind as well, it’s just all too much!
As the Tribe returns to school, so the ‘cold’ weather returns to Dubai. Strong, dusty winds picking up dust from the land causes a drop in visibility. Fishermen are advised to stay away from the sea. Winds of 76kph are reported and waves reach up to 4.5m. Along the main Dubai beaches, hotels report water coming more than 30m up the beach. These conditions follow the worst storms in a decade to hit Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. Jordan has a foot of snow, blizzards bring life to a standstill in Jerusalem. This weather system is a result of a low pressure front moving from Iran and high pressure coming from Saudi Arabia, over the Gulf causing the northwesterly wind to increase in strength. A woman is swept to her death by strong seas while taking photos of a storm on the Palm Jumeirah. A cargo ship sailing from Dubai to Africa runs aground in Ajman (the smallest Emirate, situated just up the coast from Dubai). As the winds die down, the next ‘weather’ to hit Dubai is fog.
It seems that the cold snap across Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula affects Dubai especially, bringing us extraordinarily foggy conditions.
We awake one morning and are unable to see even a foot in front of us! Visibility is so poor that warnings are given to all residents to take care while driving. Zero visibility makes for an interesting drive to school, although astonishingly for Dubai, the worst fog in years results in a near accident free day on the roads. This dense fog is caused by calm conditions and high pressure leading to 100% humidity. Severe delays and cancellations are reported at the airports (it happens
everywhere) and there are stories of drivers in Ras Al Khaimah being unable to find their cars in the fog! We always read about the complaints of flights being cancelled during this sort of weather (in the UK and here), but I have read that in 1945 a B-52 airplane actually crashed into the Empire State Building in New York due to heavy fog and in 1977, on a runway in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, two planes crashed due to limited visibility. I think that perhaps it’s wiser to be cautious. As well as reducing visibility, contrast is reduced, muting everything to shades of grey which results in reducing one’s ability to judge distance and speed.
In fact there are so many foggy days this month that a comparison is made to the ‘pea soupers’ of London’s late 18th and early 19th Centuries. But here, it is not caused by pollution. It is advection fog – the result of warm, moist air from the sea passing over land as it cools at night and condenses into tiny water droplets.
The littlest and I decide to go for a walk on the beach one day in the fog. It is very weird. We can barely see the sea or the beach and it is absolutely dead calm. I speak to a couple of paddle boarders who point out a ray swimming in the shallows of the almost still, clear waters. They have also spotted a small (only about 3 or 4 foot long!) shark. Some fishermen are cleaning their nets at the other end of the beach. As we head for home, the fog suddenly becomes thicker – the fishermen disappear and the even the sea disappears! Quite spooky and I decide to carry the littlest one before she disappears as well. However, we realise that we are basking in warmth in comparison to the rest of the world’s crazy weather. Russia records -50degrees C, Norilsk in the Arctic Circle suffers 3m of snow fall and we know that friends and family are shivering in freezing temperatures under a blanket of snow back home. Meanwhile, Australia is battling both floods and bushfires. According to the New Scientist magazine, ‘extreme is the new normal’ in the world’s weather.
Dubai’s weather, despite the wind and fog, seems rather pleasant; although, at the beginning of February, a regional school netball tournament is cancelled, wait for it …. due to rain.
Mother of the Tribe / Amateur Meteorologist
