The Kuwait Meteorological Department forecast that an extension of a low pressure system will affect the country starting Thursday and continuing through the weekend, bringing increased cloud cover accompanied by scattered rains that may turn thundery at times. Director Dherar Al-Ali told the Kuwait News Agency that weather maps and numerical models show the Sudanese low will lead to accumulation of low and medium clouds with associated dust that reduces horizontal visibility over some areas. The department which was established in 1953 and has been a member of the World Meteorological Organisation since 1962 provides such warnings at least 72 hours in advance according to its official publications. Al-Ali noted that the system will also produce southeasterly winds that freshen at times.
Forecast details released by the department place maximum temperatures on Friday between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius during the day with partly cloudy to cloudy skies and relatively humid conditions especially along coastal areas. Minimum temperatures at night are expected to range from 21 to 23 degrees with chances of light fog formation in some locations the authority reported. Similar conditions will extend into Saturday with daytime highs around 37 degrees and continued chances for scattered rain according to the department’s four-day outlook. Sea states will remain slight to moderate but can become rough at times with wave heights reaching up to six feet.
The department’s weather watch issued at 01:00 local time on November 5 highlighted the potential for thundery rains with winds exceeding 50 kilometres per hour at times and waves rising above six feet in marine areas. Such conditions have prompted the authority to alert multiple government sectors including the Ministry of Interior the fire department and marine operations. Al-Ali emphasised in the briefing that the forecast includes risks of flooding in low-lying and urban areas where drainage can be challenged by sudden heavy downpours associated with the thunder activity.
Kuwait’s civil defence authorities routinely coordinate with the Meteorological Department during such weather events to prepare for possible road closures and water accumulation the department’s service description states. The current outlook aligns with the authority’s role in supplying climate statistics and studies to educational institutes and other entities across the country. Visibility reductions from dust and rain are expected to affect open areas in particular according to the published marine and public forecasts.
By Sunday the system is projected to ease somewhat with maximum temperatures dropping to 31 degrees and winds shifting to northeasterly directions at lighter speeds the department’s extended forecast indicated. The authority continues to update its warnings through its website and the KuwaitMet application to ensure public awareness. Al-Ali’s statements to the news agency underscored the importance of heeding these bulletins to mitigate impacts from the combination of rain wind and dust over the weekend period.
