...
By Joe Edwards
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A powerful dust storm swept across Texas this week, turning the sky an eerie orange.
Strong winds carried dust from West Texas into major metropolitan areas, including Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin, creating otherworldly scenes as visibility plummeted.
Why It Matters
The event driven by a strong midlatitude cyclone that affected multiple states across the U.S, bringing with it extreme weather events, including severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and blizzards.
Read More on News
Scientists say prolonged drought conditions in West Texas contributed to the intensity of the storm, making the region more susceptible to dust storms, also known as haboobs—a term derived from Arabic, describing intense dust storms triggered by thunderstorms. These storms are common in arid and semiarid regions.
...
What To Know
According to FOX 4 News, the dust storm began moving into the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Tuesday afternoon, carried by strong winds from West Texas. By 2 p.m, cameras across North Texas captured a dramatic shift in the sky's color, which ranged from gray to deep orange due to the high concentration of airborne dust particles.
Meteorologists at AccuWeather reported that fierce winds of up to 60 mph hit the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. As the storm moved eastward, visibility dropped to just two miles.
The dust cloud eventually reached Austin and San Antonio by the evening, just as commuters were making their way home.
Ground stops were issued at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, leading to the cancellation of over 500 flights, the outlet reported.
Officials also warned of hazardous driving conditions.
Satellite imagery captured on March 4, published by NASA showed clouds of dust appearing to originate from arid landscapes in northern Mexico and West Texas.
What People Are Saying
X account Genesis Watchman Report, which collates and posts footage an imagery of extreme weather events on the social media platform, said: "It's like Mars in Fort Worth."
NWS Fort Worth said on X, March 4: "These high winds are kicking up LOTS of dust and reducing visibilities in the area. Expect blowing dust through the rest of today with visibilities dropping as low as a couple of miles in some places."
What Happens Next
"This is a large event, but dust storms are typical in this region at this time of year," said Santiago Gassó, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
"Unfortunately, we're seeing longer droughts in the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico, so we can expect more of this type of event."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines