DESERT STORM WEATHER 17 JANUARY-2 MARCH 1991

File: aabva_87.txt
Page: 87
Total Pages: 106
DESERT STORM                                       24 February l991

General Weather. A low-pressure system moved slowly eastward
along the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border--see Figure 3-42. High
pressure was still centered over the southeastern Arabian
Peninsula. The subtropical Jet stream's middle and high clouds
moved eastward over the northern Persian gulf They were out of
the area by abour 1900Z, but another upper-level disturbance
brought more high and middle Clouds eastward. At 1500Z, these
clouds were in north-central Saudi Arabia.

Area of Interest. Morning fog again blanketed the central Persian
Gulf coast between Dhahran and the Strait of Hormuz. Visibility
was poorest (2,000 meters) south of Qatar. Gusty winds and
blowing dust accompanied the low near the northern Saudi Arabian
border where 15- to 20-knot winds raised dust that reduced
visibilities to 6 km. Broken to overcast middle Clouds produced
8,000-foot clouds over the northern Persian Gulf but embedded
low clouds resulted in isolated ceilings at 3,000 feet. Isolated
rainshowers fell near the low, reducing visibilities to 8 km. Isolated
thunderstorms, with bases at 2,500 feet and tops to 30,000 feet
developed southwest of Riyadh between 1500 and 2200Z. Smoke
reduced visibilitiesand obscured skies along the Persian Gulf as far 
south as 23( N. Broken to overcast low Clouds with 2,000-foot
ceilings in extreme northern Iraq and Syria dissipated by 1500Z.
Figure 3-42 shows mid-afternoon cloudiness.

Area of Intense Interest. In Kuwait and southern Iraq, skies were
broken to overcast with 8,000-foot ceilings until about 0500Z.  Tops
of these multilayered clouds reached 35,000 feet.  There were
isolated 2,500-foot ceilings. By 0500Z, the higher clouds had
moved east leaving scattered to broken low clouds over Kuwait.
In the evening, more middle and high Clouds began to move into
the southern half from the west.  They reached western Kuwait by
2000Z, bringing 9,000-foot ceilings and tops to 30,000 feet.

Isolated rainshowes and thunderstorms affected Kuwait and
southeastern Iraq until 0600Z. Rain, heavy at times, reduced
visibility to 5 km.

Winds In Saudi Arabia and western Iraq were southwesterly to
westerly at 10-15 knots, increasing to 15-25 knots by 0900Z south
of 32( N. with gusts to 30 knots.  By 2100Z, speeds had diminished



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