The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, has given reasons for the present hazy weather conditions being experienced over the north and central parts of the country in the last few days.
According to a release from the Central Forecast Office, CFO, of the Agency in Abuja, the present dust haze resurfaced on Thursday March 25, as anticipated by the CFO in its weather outlook issued on March 22.
“The dust event is as a result of the passage of the mid-latitude wave which helped in strengthening the surface pressure over the Sahara Desert region,” the agency said.
The release issued by Muntari Yusuf Ibrahim, General Manager, Public Relations, NiMet, disclosed that this activity resulted in the strengthening and intensification of the Saharan high pressure cell, which progressively pushed down the Inter-Tropical Discontinuity ,ITD, from a latitudinal position of 10.8 degrees north on Wednesday March 24 to 7.8 degrees north on Tuesday March 30.
NiMet disclosed that the dust situation is expected to persist till Thursday, April 1 when the Saharan high pressure belt is projected to weaken and horizontal visibilities improve to between 1-3 kilometers over the extreme north.
“Following this, the region is then expected to experience sunny and slightly hazy conditions over the northern cities, while cloudiness to the south and parts of the central region,” it added.
The implication of this according to the agency, is that Nigerians should expect flight operations to run smoothly without fear of delay or cancellation from Thursday April 1, over the extreme north.
While assuring the general public and travellers of continuous update of the weather condition as it unfolds, NiMet wished Nigerians a happy Easter celebration.
