There may be flight delays or cancellations to and from Katsina, Kaduna, Kano and other northern cities as harmattan dust hit parts of the North.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) weather forecast shows that visibility will be impaired in Katsina, Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe and Jigawa states following the dust haze travelling from Niger Republic.

NiMet said this weather condition is expected to persist for the next 3 days and that Day-Time temperature (Max) is expected to fall as a result of this plume of dust coming into the country.

NiMet in a statement by its general manager, Public Affairs, Mr Muntari Yusuf, said the dust haze will affect horizontal visibility adversely.

He said weather reports monitored indicate that, “Stations in Niger (Maradi, Goure, Maine-Soroa, Agadez, Zinder and 61091) and Chad (Faya-Largeau) have reported dust-haze with poor horizontal visibility. A strong wind at 800m is expected to transport the dust to the country, particularly the North and North Central regions, in the next few hours.”

The release further disclosed that satellite images obtained indicate that in the next 24 hours, there are high prospects of thick dust haze (poor horizontal visibility, 1000m) over Katsina, Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe and Jigawa; while other northern states are expected to report moderate dust haze (visibility of 2–5km).

In view of this, members of the public are advised 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.

The release also disclosed that night-time cold temperatures should be expected; hence 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. (Daily Trust)

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