NiMet Warns Airlines, Asthma Patients Against Poor Visibility, Dusty Haze

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has alerted the public on the possibility of approaching thick dusty hazes that can lead to deterioration of horizontal visibility within the next 24 hours in some northern states of the country.

According to a release from the agency on Wednesday, “the Inter-Tropical Discontinuity (currently at about 9.60N Lat) is expected to retreat slightly Southwards in the next 24 hours.
Winds over 10m and 925hPa (700m) are favourable for Dust-Haze propagations into the Northern parts of the country. Stations in the source region (Sahara Desert) from Chad (Faya-Largeau, Bol-Berim, Mongo, Abeche and Ndjamena) and sources from Niger, that shares border with Northern Nigeria (Diffa, Maine-Soroa, Goure, Bila, Maradi, Zinder and Birni-n-Konni), have been reporting Dust-Haze in poor horizontal visibility between 300m and 5000m in the last 24 hours.”

Explaining further, the statement signed by NiMet’s spokesperson, Muntari Yusuf Ibrahim, also revealed that “due to strong winds, the dust in suspension is expected to propagate to some states in the northern part of the country. This is expected to further deteriorate horizontal visibility over the Northern parts of the country, especially over Katsina, Kano, Nguru, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Potiskum and Maiduguri in the next 24 hours.

“NiMet urged members of the public to take necessary precautions due to dust particles presently in suspension over the atmosphere.”

“People with Asthma and other respiratory issues should be cautious of the present weather situations. Airline operators are advised to get updated weather reports from NiMet for effective planning in their operations,” the statement added.

NiMet said it will continue to monitor the weather and provide updates when necessary.