The Dubai Municipality and the Roads and Transport Authority in UAE will launch a new severe weather early warning system next month to predict weather conditions and warn motorists.

The system will use weather monitoring stations to study the density of fog or sand storms and use the data to calculate and predict the levels of visibility.

The stations will be equipped with sensors to pass on the information to city agencies such as the Dubai Police, Civil Defence and the coastguard.

Subsequently, alerts will be displayed on the roadside screens, text alerts will be sent to specific mobile phone users and the warnings will be broadcast on the radio for motorists.

The system is aimed at preventing accidents due to low visibility in bad weather, particularly in fog, as the city faces three types of fog from the desert, the sea and from low clouds.

Of the planned 14 stations, six have already been set up including an offshore station.