Doha: A dense fog blanketed the country yesterday, with the Met Office forecasting the weather condition to continue for two more days. The Qatar Meteorology Department (QMD) has warned of poor horizontal visibility today.
The fog made commuting a little tricky early yesterday due to low visibility.
The fog began in early hours of Sunday and lasted until 9am in various areas.
“The fog is expected to continue for two to three days,” an official from Qatar Meteorology Department (QMD) told The Peninsula.
“This is normal for the season. We are going through a weather transition. The climate is shifting towards winter,” the met official said.
Today, poor horizontal visibility is expected over most areas. The visibility can drop less than 2km at places and will increase gradually to 5 to 8km, the QMD said.
Minimum temperature today will be 18C while maximum will be 30c.
The Traffic Department has posted instructions on its social media accounts asking motorists to follow the safety instructions while driving in fog.
“Low visibility is reported in most parts of the country due to thick fog. Motorists are advised to be cautious. Don't use hazard lights while driving in fog as it is meant for emergency stopping only, instead use fog lights." the ministry said on its social media accounts.
Many students reached schools late, with traffic jam in various areas. Parents who dropped their children at schools frist struggled to report at office on time.
“I was surprised to see the dense fog in the morning. I did not have any clue or I would have left home early. My daughter missed the morning school assembly," a a person in Ain Khalid told The Peninsula.
"It was difficult to drive fast even on roads where there was no traffic because of low visibility. I reached the school about 15 minutes late but the gate was open. It closes by 7:30am," said another father, a resident of Madinat Murra.
While driving in the fog, one has to allow more distance between vehicles than the normal, must avoid overtaking no matter what the speed of other vehicle is. If the fog is too dense, don’t hesitate to pull completely off the road and try to park your vehicle on the right side of the road safely.
