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DESERT STORM				 1 February 199l

General Weather. High pressure was centered over northwestern
Saudi Arabia, keeping central Iraq cloud-free. The weak cold Wont
shown in Figure 3-18 extends Tom a low centered in north-central
Iran. The Front spread middle clouds from Qatar southwestward
across Saudi Arabia. A slow-moving low-pressure system centered
on the Turkey-Syria border caused rain-showers in western Iraq,
Syria, and Jordan. By 1800Z, middle clouds from this low reached
Baghdad. A weak low developed on the central Red Sea coast
response to an upper-a? disturbance.

Area of Interest.  Middle Clouds covered the mountains to Iraq's
and north. Light rain fell in Syria and northern Iraq between
1800 and 2100Z. Extensive areas of mountain-wave turbulence
developed in the west between 0300Z and 1500Z and reached as
far east as 43( E. Early morning ground fog formed in low-lying
areas over most of the eastern Arabian Peninsula. Lowest
visibilities were 2,000-4,000 meters.
   
Area of Intense Interest. Skies were clear to scattered before
about 0900Z, exam in the extreme northeast Broken low clouds
Mom the low in Turkey spread southward; by 1600Z, they had
reached Baghdad, with 3,000-100t clangs. Thin broken or scattered
cirrus spread northeastward from the northern Red Sea, covering
the area south of 31( N by ll00Z.
   
Wads were northeasterly at 5-10 knots ~ the south, westerly to the
north. Afternoon winds were light and variable over central Iraq.
   
Visibilities were generally good, but morning ground 10g reduced
them to about 6 km in northeast Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and
southern Iraq.
   
High temperatures were 7-13( C; lows, 1-7( C. The lowest
temperatures were in the eastern Nafud Desert.


3-40
   

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