Foggy Monday with poor visibility predicted

Weathermen has forecast a foggy Monday in various parts of UAE. An announcement from the National Centre for seismic monitoring and meteorology said that fog will cause poor visibility during morning, while the north westerly wind will blow in light to moderate speed.

Thick fog is likely to be formed during late hours of night and Monday morning especially in coastal regions and further inland bringing the visibility to near zero in some areas. (WAM)

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Abu Dhabi airport flights suffer in fog

A total of 27 morning flights into and out of Abu Dhabi International Airport were sent into a spin on March 11 when the airport closed for more than seven hours as visibility plunged to less than one hundred metres.
Weather forecasters have assured UAE residents hazy mornings with only a slight chance of fog were likely in Dubai and the northern emirates, which escaped any fog yesterday.
However fog remained more likely for Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi inbound and outbound flights during the peak hour of midnight to 2am were not affected, but the airport was closed between 2.20am and 9.50am, according to an Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC) spokesman.

The official said six flights were cancelled and ten delayed, while 11 were diverted mainly to Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah airports.

Of the total flights affected, Etihad Airways spokesperson Thomas Clarke said seven inbound Etihad flights were diverted to Al Ain and two were re-directed to Muscat. These flights returned to Abu Dhabi when the airport reopened.

Five return flights, to Bahrain, Muscat, Dammam, New York and Johannesburg, were cancelled. Their passengers were given accommodation, put on other airline’s flights or the subsequent Etihad flight.

Six outbound flights experienced minor delays.

Meanwhile, 378 passengers waited at the airport for two flights, to Delhi and Bombay, and left in the afternoon with about a six-hour delay.

A flight to Kuala Lumpur, affected by a technical problem rather than fog, was delayed ten hours until departure just after midday yesterday.

“We have informed people regarding their delayed and cancelled flights and strived to avoid inconvenience to them,” Clarke said.

However Clarke said the airline had not noticed many passengers had been delayed or kept from their flights by yesterday’s accident on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway.

Dubai International Airport did not experience significant numbers of delayed passengers.

An Air Arabia shuttle bus from Abu Dhabi to Sharjah International Airport was delayed but only two passengers missed their flights and were booked onto the following flight, according to the airline’s public relations manager Housam Raydan.

‘Enumerating the causes of the fog, the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology in Abu Dhabi said, “Stable weather, light wind, high humidity level and light pressure formed the fog early morning.”

The met department cautioned motorists to take maximum care and avoid speeding while driving on Wednesday, as there was a weak chance of fog.

Dubai Meteorological Office duty forecaster Chris Worger said summer was on its way with temperatures expected to warm up to 32 or 33 degrees Celsius by Friday this week. Source

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Lunar eclipse will be seen on Thursday in western region

Emirates Astronomical Society (EAS) has announced that full lunar eclipse will be visible in western region in the UAE on February 21. It will be also sighted in the western parts of Africa, Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and many parts of two Americas.

Engineer Mohammed Shuwkat Awda, rapporteur of the EAS and chairman of the Islamic Crescents' Observation Project (ICOP) said that "the moon will set before completion of all phases of eclipse in most parts of Asia. These areas will only see the beginning of eclipse".

He added that the moon will set in Abu Dhabi city at 06:56pm on Thursday, adding that the moon will be invisible before completion of its entry in the shadow zone during sunset.

During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon's disk can take on a dramatically colourful appearance from bright orange to blood red to dark brown and (rarely) very dark gray. An eclipse of the Moon can only take place at full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of Earth's shadow. The shadow is actually composed of two cone-shaped parts, one nested inside the other. The outer shadow or penumbra is a zone where Earth blocks some (but not all) of the Sun's rays. In contrast, the inner shadow or umbra is a region where Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.

The partial eclipse begins as the Moon's eastern edge slowly moves into the Earth's umbral shadow. During the partial phases, it takes just over an hour for the Moon's orbital motion to carry it entirely within the Earth's dark umbra. The colour and brightness of the totally eclipsed Moon can vary considerably from one eclipse to another. Dark eclipses are caused by volcanic gas and dust which filters and blocks much of the Sun's light from reaching the Moon. But since no major volcanic eruptions have taken place recently, the Moon will probably take on a vivid red or orange colour during the total phase.

After the total phase ends, it is once again followed by a partial eclipse as the Moon gradually leaves the umbral shadow.

The total phase of a lunar eclipse is called totality. At this time, the Moon is completely immersed within the Earth's dark umbral shadow. (WAM)

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