High winds whipping eastward from the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday have stirred up blinding dust storms from the Syrian Desert to the heart of Iraq.

Triggered by a cold front, winds of 30 to 50 mph, locally stronger, brought visibility to near zero as thick clouds of dust lofted over eastern Syria and Jordan into northern and central Iraq during the afternoon.

In some areas, gusty thunderstorms accompanied the dust, their rain only partially suppressing it.

Google Maps Image.

Farther south and east, the Mideast Gulf, from Kuwait and eastern Saudi Arabia to UAE, had scattered gusty thunderstorms, stirring up localized dust storms.

Wednesday and Thursday, the cold front will shift east and south, sparking more thunderstorms in the Gulf region.

The shift in wind will cause airborne dust to waft over Kuwait, eastern Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and southern Iran, causing discomfort and inconvenience for residents. The airborne dust could reach the UAE on Thursday.

Flights may be delayed or cancelled at Kuwait, Riyadh, Doha, Dubai and other region airports.