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Tribune News Network
Doha
Residents and tourists woke up to a bitterly cold and windy weather on Friday as temperature dipped to below 10 degree Celsius in parts of Qatar and the GCC region.
Some of Doha's busy thoroughfares and marketplaces wore a deserted look as residents mainly preferred to remain indoors on Friday. Only a few dared to venture out to take part in outdoor activities at the Corniche and Souq Waqif as well as to view the fireworks on display at the Sheraton Park.
The Qatar Meteorology Department (QMD) has forecast strong winds and biting cold on Saturday as well.
"Minimum temperature in Doha city is expected to be 10 degrees Celsius on Saturday, while the daytime temperature in the capital will be 19 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature in Al Khor, Abu Samra and Dukhan are expected to be 13, 15 and 16 degree Celsius, respectively," the Met report stated.
Citing strong winds and dust, the Ministry of Interior tweeted:"Low visibility reported in many areas due to dust. Motorists are advised to be cautious and drive carefully."
The QMD earlier in the week had warned of a cold spell during the weekend. It stated that the weather will be affected by the extension of a Siberian high pressure system accompanied by fresh to strong northwesterly winds during the period between Thursday and Sunday.
Businesses in Doha were also affected.
A shopkeeper at Souq Waqif said,"We usually receive a lot of visitors and tourists during this time of the year. However, there were few people around this weekend. Obviously, this affects our business. Families prefer to remain indoors. But, we are expecting things to become much better once the cold spell dissipates."
A restaurant manager in Muntazah said:"Our restaurant is open during the daytime and throughout the night. A few people visited our restaurant on Friday afternoon. But, we are hardly getting any customers at night."
The season's lowest temperature has also badly affected the everyday life of fishermen at fishing harbours in Al Khor, Al Wakrah and the routine functioning of the Central Fish Market in Doha. While some fishermen in Al Khor stayed away from the sea on Thursday and Friday, others had to return from the sea, owing to bad weather and strong windy conditions.
Abdul Rahman, a long-time employee at the Central Market, said,"We did not experience such a severe cold weather in recent years. Bad weather and shortage of employees not only affected the business at the market, but also the health of many workers who are exposed to windy conditions in open areas. Loading and off-loading at harbour and marketplace also got delayed."
A fisherman, Muthuvel Kumaran, who works in Al Khor, said:"If the situation continues like this, then many fishing vessels are expected to withdraw their operations on Saturday and Sunday."
Furthermore, a number of parents in Qatar have urged school authorities to change or relax the school's morning timings to avoid the early morning cold weather.
"With a sudden dip in temperature, mornings are becoming foggy and cold. Exposing small children to such a harsh weather condition for catching school bus early in the morning is often harmful. If children have to go out for school at 6am, there will be chances that they might catch flu, cough, sore throat and runny nose. In such a situation, schools should extend the entry time by at least two hours," said a parent of an Indian student of DPS-MIS.
"Being a parent I don't want my children to fall sick due to such a cold spell. I want the school authorities to change the early morning timings to make it convenient for my kids," said another parent of students studying in Olive International School.
When Qatar Tribune contacted some Indian schools, most of the authorities said they had no such plan to change the school timings.
Birla Public School Principal AK Shrivastava said:"In Qatar, such cold weather does not continue for long. It will hardly last for two-three days. For such a short duration, we cannot change the timings of the school as a lot of logistics is involved in doing so."
The Hamad Medical Corporation has received around 1,000 cases of cold and other respiratory-related illnesses, a source said, adding, Al Wakra Emergency Department received 235 cases, Hamad General Emergency 440 while the Paediatric Emergency received 383 cases. The number of weather-related cases this weekend has declined compared to the first few weeks of the winter season, a consultant at Hamad's emergency department told QT on Friday.
Interestingly, a tourist from an East European nation at a city mall said:"I never thought of experiencing such kind of weather in Qatar. It feels more like home now."
