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DESERT STORM 4 February 199l

General Weather. High pressure centered in southeastern Egypt
strengthened and built into northwestern Saudi Arabia. The low-
pressure system that had been affecting northern Iraq continued to
move eastward. By 0900Z, the trough had moved southeastward
to the south of Qatar The subtropical Jet stream, shown by the
arrows in Figure 3-21, continued to spread high and middle clouds
over the central Arabian Peninsula.

Areas of Interest. Fog reduced visibilities to 1,500 meters in Qatar
and on the United Arab Emirates coast before 0400Z and again
after 2000Z. Gusty winds and scattered duststorms affected the
eastern coast between Bahrain and Qatar between 1100 and
2100Z. Lowest visibilities were 5 km. Isolated rainshowers
affected the coast between Qatar and the Strait of Hormuz. Cloud
bases were 15,000 feet.

Area of Intense Interest. In the early morning, middle clouds
produced 10,000-foot clangs In a triangular area between 30� N
and a southwest-northeast line running from 60 miles south of
Baghdad, then eastward to the Iraq Borden These Clouds really
moved southeastward. By 0600Z, they affected only the coast of
Kuwal1. The area was almost cloud-free by 1000Z.

Winds were northeasterly at 10-15 knots inland, but northeasterly at 15-
20 knots on the Kuwait coast Inland, winds became northeasterly at
5-10 knots after 1800Z.

Visibilities were generally above 10 km, but scattered fires and
smoke plumes reduced visibility In Kuwait 10 below 4 km. One
smoke plume, originating in northern Kuwalt, measured 35 miles
long and 10-15 miles wide.



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