Riyadh:&nbsp;Flights were disrupted, ships weighed&nbsp;anchor and schools were closed today as a major sandstorm blew&nbsp;through Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Gulf states.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/apr/UAE-SANDSTORM.jpg" alt="" />Foreigners wear medical masks as they walk in a street in Dubai amid a sandstorm that engulfed the city on Thursday. Pic/AFP
In the United Arab Emirates, several flights were diverted&nbsp;and delays were expected to others, a Dubai Airports&nbsp;spokesperson said, as the skies over the city turned yellow.
King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam, on the Saudi Gulf Coast,&nbsp;suspended the arrival and departure of all vessels from 1730&nbsp;GMT yesterday, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.&nbsp;
"Their movement will resume as soon as the weather&nbsp;improves and the wind speed slows down," after reaching 30&nbsp;knots, the report said.&nbsp;
Skies cleared today in the centre of the kingdom, where&nbsp;the Saudi capital is located, and workers cleaned debris from&nbsp;the storm.&nbsp;
Riyadh's normally erratic drivers slowed down as blowing&nbsp;sand reduced visibility for motorists and tossed garbage&nbsp;across highways.
Schools were closed in the capital and in the Eastern&nbsp;Province, around Dammam, today.&nbsp;
Delays also began to mount at Hamad International Airport&nbsp;in Qatar. Inbound and outbound flights were affected, some by&nbsp;more than two hours.
The storm closed schools in Doha as visibility fell to 100&nbsp;metres (yards) today before improving by the afternoon.
Flights to Bahrain were "temporarily suspended due to&nbsp;unstable weather conditions," the official Bahrain News Agency&nbsp;cited an airport official as saying.&nbsp;
Similar conditions prevailed in Oman while Kuwait's&nbsp;capital appeared less affected by the storm on Thursday,&nbsp;despite hazy conditions elsewhere in the country.&nbsp;

Flights were disrupted, ships weighed&nbsp;anchor and schools were closed today as a major sandstorm blew&nbsp;through Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Gulf states

Flights delayed, schools shut as sandstorm hits Gulf

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Flights delayed, schools shut as sandstorm hits Gulf

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