JEDDAH: The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) has acknowledged it sent out late warnings about the sandstorm that blanketed Jeddah on Tuesday, but blamed this on unpredictable winds.

Mohamed Nur Abdul Qadir, a leading weather expert in the PME’s analysis and forecasts department, attributed the delay to winds that had suddenly appeared.

These winds were the most difficult weather phenomena to monitor because they appear quickly and can hit within 10 to 20 minutes. He said the PME issued a warning at 6 p.m. and the storm hit at 6:10 p.m.

He said there was a full day of rain in Makkah on Tuesday, which eventually saw cloud forming over the expressway in Jeddah, which the PME monitored closely. However, the wind appeared quickly during the late afternoon, he said.