The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has alerted the public to the possibility of a deterioration in visibility as a result of observed dust haze in some northern states.
The agency, through its Central Forecast Office (CFO), disclosed that over the next 24 hours, there were prospects of a thick dust haze (poor horizontal visibility, less than1000m) over Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Adamawa, Katsina, Kano, Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba states; while other parts of the region are expected to have moderate dust haze (visibility of 2-5km).
It said the Northcentral states are expected to report slight dust haze (visibility of 5-7km); a weather condition expected to persist over the next 48 hours.
“Stations in the source region of Niger (Maradi, Zinder, Maine-Soroa, Goure, N’guigmi, Diffa and 61091) and Chad (Faya-Largeau and N’djamena) have both reported dust haze with poor horizontal visibility, indicating that in the next few hours, strong winds at 800m will spread more dust into the country.”
NiMet advised members of the public to take necessary precautions due to dust particles presently in suspension over the atmosphere. Individuals with respiratory ailments were advised to protect themselves, as the current weather condition “is not good for their health”.
The agency further said night-time cold temperatures should be expected so warm clothes are advised for little children, the statement advised further, while airline operators were called upon to avail themselves of weather reports from NiMet for effective planning in their operations.
NiMet’s CFO assured that it would continue to monitor the weather and provide updates when necessary.
