Searchers looking for potential debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are likely to face poor weather conditions in the next few days, a spokesperson from the WA Bureau of Meteorology confirmed today.
“We don’t have weather observation station out there so it’s hard to say, but yesterday a cold front went through the area which means showers associated with that cold front have eased but we’re still seeing drizzle and the associated low cloud with that drizzle, we’re not expecting those conditions to change,” the spokesperson said.
“We are not expecting much change for the conditions tomorrow and another cold front is forecast to pass through the area Sunday.
“If you have low cloud you get drizzle.
“It’s not clear blue skies, there’s going to be a large area of low cloud, and when you get drizzle you get a reduction in visibility.”
This news comes as a fourth jet is about to join the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370.
Two RAAF P3 Orion jets and one long-range jet are on course for the site about 2500 kilometres south-west of Perth, where two objects were first spotted by satellite radar on March 16.
“There’s a third Orion due to leave approximately 1pm Canberra time, and a fifth after that,” an Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokesperson said.
MH370 took off from Kuala Lumper on March 8 with more than 200 passengers on board, bound for Beijing.
The flight never made it to its destination, and special aircraft from Australia, New Zealand and the US have now joined the search off Western Australia’s shore.
The AMSA spokesperson said cloud was affecting visibility.
“The sea state is moderate but there is cloud in the area which is affecting visibility,” the spokesperson said.
“It’s difficult to say how bad the visibility will be, they’re still searching.”
