Iraq suspends Monday flights, announces holiday due to dust storm

The storm that will hit Iraq is the ninth in two months. (Photo: Getty Images)
The storm that will hit Iraq is the ninth in two months. (Photo: Getty Images)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq will face another dust storm on Monday that will affect provinces in the Kurdistan Region and the wider Middle East, authorities said Sunday. 

"The dust storm will include the provinces of Kurdistan, and this means that all of Iraq will be exposed to this dust storm starting from this evening and all day on Monday," said Ministry of Transport spokesperson Hussein Jalil. 

"On Tuesday afternoon, everything ends, and the weather tends to stabilize while temperatures drop by 5-6 degrees Celsius," he added. "This dust storm was considered a regional storm as it will affect Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Bahrain, and perhaps even the Sultanate of Oman."

Jalil pointed out that "specialists expect that the damage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could be significant because the winds will be active and may reach 70-80 kilometers per hour, while winds in Iraq will not exceed 40-50 kilometers per hour."

Iraqi authorities also warned citizens not to go out during the next 48 hours to avoid the risk of suffocating, especially people with asthma who already have breathing difficulties. 

"The movement of flights will be suspended at dawn tomorrow in all Iraqi airports due to the lack of visibility, which may reach 100 meters," the Ministry of Transport stated, adding that "flights will return to normal when the atmosphere stabilizes."

Furthermore, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers announced the suspension of official working hours in state institutions on Monday due to the severe weather conditions.