Lagos airport
Harmattan: Flight cancellations loom, as dust haze nears northern region – NiMet
Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has alerted airlines and others in the aviation sector, as well as the general public on the approaching dust haze with the possibility of deterioration in visibility in some northern states.
A statement by NiMet, Thursday, said stations in the source region from Chad (Faya-Largeau, Bol-Berim, Mongo, Abeche and Ndjamena) have been reporting horizontal visibility between 800m and 4000m.
It also said that other sources from Niger that share border with northern Nigeria (Diffa, Maine-Soroa, Goure, Bila, Maradi, Zinder and Birni-n-Konni) have been reporting dust haze in poor visibility between 1000m and 3000m since the last 24 hours.
The statement further disclosed that due to strong winds, ‘the dust in suspension is expected to propagate to some states in the northern part of the country, which will further reduce horizontal visibility.’
“There are prospects of DUST HAZE (in moderate to poor horizontal visibility) over the northern parts of the country, especially over Katsina, Kano, Nguru, Jigawa, Potiskum and Maiduguri in the next 24 hours.
“NiMet therefore advises members of the public to take necessary precautions due to dust particles presently in suspension over the atmosphere.
“Individuals with respiratory ailments are advised to protect themselves as the current weather condition is not good for their health. Airline operators are also advised to avail themselves of weather reports from NiMet for effective planning in their operations.
“NiMet will continue to monitor the weather and provide updates when necessary,” the agency said.
