Latest news with #duststorm
Zawya
2 days ago
- Climate
- Zawya
Oman dismisses rumours of incoming dust storm from Iran
Muscat – The Directorate General of Meteorology of Oman has denied rumours suggesting a dust storm is set to impact coastal areas of the sultanate. In an official statement, the department clarified that no dust activity is forecast, according to the latest analysis issued by the National Multi-Hazard Early Warning Center. 'There is no indication of any dust wave moving towards the coastal regions of the Sea of Oman,' it confirmed. The clarification was issued in response to a message circulating widely on social media, which falsely claimed that a dust storm originating from the Islamic Republic of Iran was expected to hit Oman, potentially reducing horizontal visibility in the coming hours. Authorities have urged the public to refer only to verified and official weather sources for accurate information. 'We remind everyone to avoid spreading or reacting to unverified news, especially when it relates to public safety,' Oman Meteorology said. The department continues to monitor atmospheric conditions closely and will issue alerts if there are any significant changes, it added. © Apex Press and Publishing Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
ABC News
13-06-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
In this town, the impact of a changing climate is being starkly felt
The farming town of Orroroo, in South Australia's mid north, is a microcosm of the drought plaguing swathes of Australia. What is its future in a changing climate? The auburn dirt of Orroroo is like that found in many towns in regional Australia, rich in colour, but devastating when swept into the air. The red-coloured dirt of the land near Orroroo. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) A dust storm hit Orroro in May, blanketing the town. ( Supplied: Peter Usher ) Last month the town, and many others across South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales were blanketed in thick dust as storms swept across the country. For those in Orroroo, the hope had been for a much-needed reprieve from ongoing drought. The dust storm covered Orroroo's school. ( Supplied: Peter Usher ) But instead they were met with amber skies, forcing locals and school children to remain indoors as the front passed. Orroroo school principal Peter Usher. Orroroo Area School principal Peter Usher said it was the first time he had seen a change in the brave face of the community he has called home since the start of the year. "It was almost like the land slapping everyone in the face of reality," he says. The view from inside Orroroo's school. ( Supplied: Peter Usher ) Along with their principal, the school's students were watching the topsoil from their family farms blow away. Ella is a student at Orroroo Primary School. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) "It was all red, the sky, and it was yuck," year two student Ella recalls. "It ruined it a bit more because we were starting to get green grass ... but then it unfortunately blew it away." In a bid to share the news from their small town, student Clay took to Facebook with a weather report. "News update from Orroroo, can we please have rain?" The town of Orroroo sits on the southern edge of the Flinders Ranges. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Orroroo sits on the southern edge of the Flinders Ranges, near Goyder's Line, a geographical mark drawn by the state's surveyor general in 1865 which determined where crops could be planted. Orroroo is a farming community in SA's mid north region. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Farming is at the town's heart. Students from throughout the region bus into school each day. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Each day, children and some staff members from surrounding farms make their way to school. But the weight of the ongoing drought continues to bear down, bringing with it both emotional and practical responsibilities. For year two student Clay, the workload for his family has only increased. Clay is a student at Orroroo Primary school. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) "Feeding sheep at the moment lots," he said. Clay's family runs a farm. "We haven't even got our seeder out yet, but we mostly grow grain down at where we call the valley. "Last year it was terrible down there too." Grant Chapman also understands the weight of responsibility of running a family farm. Grant Chapman is the Mayor of Orroroo and a sheep farmer. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) The third-generation farmer has dedicated his life to the land and is also the local mayor. Grant has removed crops from his property due to a lack of rain. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Like everyone else, he watched what little feed that was left on the ground blow away in the storm last month. "The dust started reasonably early in the morning. It continued all day just before dark," he recalls. Grant Chapman's farm has felt the impact of drought. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) "It was huge winds and dust storms like we've never seen in this area before. Not in my lifetime anyway. "It just swept the country bare. Any remaining dry food that was about, even though there wasn't much, is gone … it was just a really devastating day." Grant's family has farmed just outside of Orroroo for three generations, and on his property they are entering their third season of drought. "I think it's the worst drought in my lifetime," he says. "I've talked to my dad, he's 92-years-old and he says he can't remember a drought being this widespread." Even before this drought hit, Grant made the decision to get out of cropping altogether. The land, once filled with crops and greenery ... Grant Chapman's property was once covered in lush, green crops in 2016. ( Supplied: Grant Chapman ) Grant's farm is now dry and dusty after years of drought conditions. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) ... now resembles a dry, dusty moonscape. He now just farms sheep, but when he spoke to the ABC he only had three weeks of feed left. It has left him with the difficult choice to sell part of his flock. Without rain he may have to destock completely, seeing years of hard work breeding the best stock disappear. It is a familiar tale for many working the land. At the South Australian Livestock Exchange in Dublin, north of Adelaide, Elders livestock manager Matt Ward is auctioning sheep that, in a normal year, would still be grazing in paddocks. Livestock sales have been booming as people offload their stock amid the drought. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) The South Australian Livestock Exchange in Dublin, north-west of Adelaide, is a hive of activity. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) "Today in particular there's probably three lines of ewe lambs in the sale yards … that are being sold as ewe lambs because they can't carry them through … to be sold in the spring," he says. "With lack of feed in the whole of South Australia, the graziers can't afford to buy them so they're going to slaughter unfortunately." Sheep at the South Australian Livestock Exchange. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Some sheep in good condition are setting record prices. Some sheep were in poor condition. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Others, are showing the signs of a continued drought crisis. Reprieve not guaranteed The anecdotes from farmers that they have never seen a drought this bad are backed by the data. According to the Bureau of Meterology (BOM) the start of the year saw the lowest rainfall on record for large parts of south-eastern Australia, from Western Australia, through South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. For some of those regions, they have been in the bottom five per cent of rainfall records for 26 months. It is a trend, the BOM says is being influenced, at least in part, by climate change. Swathes of Australia have been impacted by drought. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Farmer Rob Pearce runs Sunnydale Station, about 40 kilometres out of Broken Hill. ( ABC News: Will Hunter ) "We are seeing a declining trend in rainfall across much of southern Australia," Climatologist Caitlin Minney said. "That's been observed definitely in the last 30 years so in south-east Australia, there's been a decrease of about nine per cent in that April to October which is that key, cool-season growing time, since 1994." Rob Pearce farms sheep in western New South Wales near Broken Hill. He says the last few seasons haven't been too bad, but they're heading into drought too. Rob Pearce is hoping the rains will come this winter. ( ABC News: Will Hunter ) He's preparing for the worst while he waits for rain, but remains in good spirits. "God's got the say and I haven't got his email address," he said. "I could see the writing on the wall [in] October so I've been sort of planning for this, getting sheep down like breeding them quick and getting them out quick because I didn't think it was going to rain." Back in South Australia, Alison Henderson is also trying to focus on resilience. She runs a Merino stud less than an hour south of Orroroo. Her family has farmed here for five generations, but said this drought was "unprecedented" for the district. "Definitely my dad, my grandpa, their generations can't remember a season like it, and they've got a few years in their memory that stick out as bad drought years," she says. Alison Henderson is a fifth-generation farmer. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) The reality of the drought is clear from above. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Alison Henderson is hoping her sustainable practices will future-proof her business. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) She is among the next generation of Australia's farmers, and despite having to sell off part of her flock and spend additional money on feed, she is hopeful for the future. She is breeding Poll Merino sheep that are more resistant to drought. "I love these genetics because what we've seen is growth rates, despite of the drought conditions, have been the best we've ever seen," she says. "In the good times they're able to consume that feed and store that energy in their body as body condition and during tough times like this, they've still got that body condition that they can utilise and it means also that we don't have to feed them as much because they are able to utilise what they're eating better." Children play in the mud kitchen at the school. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Back at Orroroo Area school, many students are also a part of the next generation of the town's farmers. Children play in the sandpit Orroroo Area School. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) While they play in the sand with miniature animals and trucks, their parents and families are working hard to survive. Children playing in the sandpit. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) For those about to graduate, the transition is much closer to the horizon. "I guess growing up that's always been the thing 'oh yeah I'll just go back and work on the farm'," year 12 student Cooper Shackleford says. "But it's getting to the point now where it's almost like 'well am I able to make a living off the farm and is it going to be able to support the family that's already there plus more people coming on?'" Ashby Thomas wants to go into agronomy when he finishes school, but when he did work experience at a business last year he saw another impact of the drought. "There was no work on at all because there had been no rain to get the crops up so hopefully there'll be rain soon but there's not a lot of work around for that type of business," he says. Peter Usher says the town will be relieved when proper rains hit. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Cooper Shackleford is in year 12 and has bright hopes for the future. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Ashby Thomas is is Year 12 and wants to get into agronomy when he finishes school. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) But the most obvious answer to what is needed is simply rain, and lots of it. There was good news in Orroroo and across much of drought-affected Australia last weekend when vast areas experienced downpours. While it wasn't enough to break the drought, locals say every drop helps restore their faith in the region's future. School principal Peter Usher said the town will be celebrating when big rains finally arrive. ( ABC News: Che Chorley ) Principal Peter Usher says when it rains, he'll give his students the chance to celebrate. Earlier this year, a moment of rain caused huge joy, despite its brief appearance. "I know that when we get rain, because we will, it will be truly a celebration," he says. "I'm really looking forward to seeing how beautiful the area is when we do have rain and the crops are growing because everyone's described that to me. "At the moment they're all, not apologising, but they're saying this is not normally Orroroo, we normally have some rain." Credits: Reporting: Leah MacLennan Words: Leah MacLennan and Jessica Haynes Digital production: Jessica Haynes Photography and drone imagery: Che Chorley Additional reporting: Will Hunter Additional images: Will Hunter, Peter Usher and Grant Chapman Editing: Sara Garcia
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
It's been nearly a century since Chicago saw a powerful dust storm like this (photos)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. In mid-May, a giant wall of dust paraded across parts of the U.S. Midwest, and, thanks to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) East satellite, we were able to follow along. In mid-May, a giant wall of dust paraded across parts of the U.S. Midwest, and, thanks to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) East satellite, we were able to follow along. The GOES-19 spacecraft, which has been in space for less than a year after launching in late June 2024, took over the GOES East spot back in April. Hanging out at 22,236 miles (35,785 kilometers) above the planet, the next-gen satellite watches over the Western Hemisphere; it keeps a close eye on our weather, takes measurements to study our climate and monitors and tracks wildfires as they develop. In addition, by being in the right place at the right time, GOES East can document historic weather events from beginning to end. Dust storms are pretty rare across the Great Lakes region, but on May 16, one developed across northern Illinois and proceeded east through metropolitan Chicago and northern Indiana. It sprang from a group of severe thunderstorms in central Illinois, as strong winds began to kick up dust on dry farmland. As the storms progressed east, a massive dust cloud formed, situating itself just behind the front edge of the outflow winds of the thunderstorm. The powerful winds continued to drive the dust storm, with gusts reaching more than 60 mph (97 kph) at times. This part of the country is more accustomed to Snow Squall Warnings, in which intense bands of snow can drop visibility quickly to zero and are accompanied by howling winds. But this time, it was the curtain of dust, not snow, that prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Office in Chicago to issue alerts, with visibilities reaching close to zero at several instances. Throughout the event, four separate Dust Storm Warnings were released, with the criteria of winds of at least 20 mph (32 kph) paired with widespread blowing dust, dropping the visibility to 0.25 miles (0.4 kilometers) or less. RELATED STORIES — NOAA expects up to 5 major hurricanes in 2025: 'Be prepared' — The newest GOES weather satellite in NOAA's fleet is now fully operational (video) — Trump administration's NOAA layoffs affected the space weather service that tracks solar storms While dust storms are not common throughout the Midwest, they're extremely rare in the Windy City. The most recent dust storm to affect Chicago took place on May 31, 1985, but it was nowhere near the strength of this one. The NWS Chicago office confirmed that it's been close to a century since the city was hit with an event of this proportion; that storm took place in the early to mid-1930s, during the Dust Bowl era.
Zawya
04-06-2025
- Climate
- Zawya
Rains expected in some parts of Oman during Eid holidays
Muscat: In some parts of Oman, cooler temperatures are expected during the Eid holidays. Starting on Wednesday and continuing till Thursday, the weather expert at the Oman Met Office said, "There is a chance of low cloud advection over the coastal areas of the Oman Sea. "The weather pattern could bring in early morning or afternoon rain on Thursday, Friday and Saturday," according to the weather forecaster. During this period, the temperature could be around 35 degrees Celsius to 36 degrees Celsius. Over Al Hajar Mountains, there could be rains during the afternoons. Low clouds or fog formations are expected over the coasts of the Arabian Sea. On Tuesday, the weather forecast stated it would be generally clear skies across all governorates, with some parts of the northern governorates of the Sultanate of Oman affected by suspended dust. Satellite images had been showing parts of the northern governorates of the Sultanate of Oman continue to be affected by suspended dust, causing a relative decrease in horizontal visibility due to the dust wave. Satellite images indicated that a dust storm was coming from the Islamic Republic of Iran toward the coastal areas of the Sea of Oman. Weather experts had been warning that this could cause reduced horizontal visibility in the coming hours. Dust storms are expected in Zamaim, Haima and Yaaloni and Marmul. There are chances of low clouds/ fog patches at late night and early morning over parts of South Al Sharqiya, Al Wusta and Dhofar governorates. Along the Arabian Sea coasts, winds will be southerly to southwesterly moderate to fresh and along Oman Sea coasts and it will be easterly to northeasterly light to moderate becoming variable light at night, while over rest of the governorates it will be westerly to southwesterly light to moderate occasionally fresh over deserts and open areas. Sea conditions are expected to be moderate to rough along the Arabian Sea coasts with maximum wave height of 3.25 meters and slight to moderate along the western part of Musandam coast with maximum wave height of 1.5 meters and slight over the rest of the coasts with maximum wave height of 1.25 meters. Visibility may be reduced during rising dust and fog formation, warned the Met Office. The highest temperature recorded is 46 in Adham and Fahud. Masirah and Al Halaniyat Islands were cooler than Saiq in Jabal Al Akhdar recording a high of 32 degrees Celsius, but Jabal Shams was the coolest place in Oman was not usual place, Jabal Shams, recording 30 degrees maximum and lowest temperature recorded being 21 degrees. The coolest place in Oman currently is Jabal Samhan in Dhofar Governorate experiencing a high of 29 degrees Celsius and a low of 23 degrees Celsius. 2022 © All right reserved for Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising (OEPPA) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Washington Post
03-06-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
A thick plume of Saharan dust is headed toward Florida
A plume of thick dust suspended in the atmosphere is moving westward across the Caribbean Sea and is expected to reach Florida on Wednesday. Areas in its path can expect haze, locally poor air quality and the potential for vibrant morning and evening skies. The plume has meandered thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean from its source on the continent of Africa, already reducing visibility in Puerto Rico and nearby locations. Technically called the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), this dust is a relatively common feature overall. Carried westward by the trade winds that kick up hurricane season, it is also somewhat unusual to see SAL survive the journey across the ocean in this way. The dust will be thickest through Thursday, but the SAL eventually runs into an area of lighter winds aloft that will allow it to sit and dissipate around Florida through the rest of the week. There may be multiple days of fiery sunrises and sunsets as a result. As the name implies, the SAL is born in the desert of Africa. The dust is formed by light, dry sands and other minerals. They require a jet stream positioned correctly to send them westward. At other times, SAL might shoot northward toward Europe. This batch can be seen stirring up over Africa, particularly in and near Chad, during the latter part of May. The same winds that drive tropical disturbances westward off the African continent pick up the dust and move it along as well. Most years have some, but excessive levels of dust can augment storm development since it stifles cloud development and can lower sea surface temperatures if it lingers. Similar to dense wildfire smoke, fine particles contained in Saharan dust can be harmful if people are exposed persistently or in large quantity, particularly for anyone with respiratory issues. In the Caribbean and United States, by the time Saharan dust makes the 4,000-plus mile trek, it is typically mostly aloft with minimal impact on surface air quality. This minimizes risks to population but creates the appearance of thin clouds in midday skies. The current batch of SAL was passing Puerto Rico and surrounding locations Monday and will continue to do so Tuesday. San Juan weather observations showed periodic reports of haze and visibility as low as 6 miles over recent days. 'The SAL will result in degraded air quality and hazy skies across the islands,' the National Weather Service wrote in a technical discussion. '[It] will also contribute to warmer-than-normal temperatures, especially during nighttime hours, reducing radiational cooling and contributing to hotter minimum temperatures each morning.' High pressure to the north of the Caribbean and lower pressure in the eastern Gulf of Mexico will help draw the dust toward the Bahamas and Florida through Wednesday. Code yellow 'moderate' air quality conditions are forecast in South Florida given the likelihood of increased particulates in the air. The dust plume should eventually dissipate in and around the Sunshine State but some of it may reach other portions of the Gulf Coast and Southeast U.S. in lesser quantities. Although the SAL tends to squash precipitation chances versus what they would be without it, the two can intermix. In locations that occurs, some so-called dirty rain may fall. The dust particles floating in the atmospheric column where air rises and condenses into storms gets picked up, nucleates into raindrops then falls to earth. It's probably not so noticeable during rainfall, but when the storm has ended and the raindrops have dried, dusty residue is left behind. This is particularly true on metal or dark objects. It's difficult to make much of this and recent bouts of dusty air off the Sahara. Most seasons do have some and it is most common early in the season. Sea surface temperatures across the Atlantic basin are running above average for the date, and the same can be said in the main development region where tropical waves tend to form. Thus far, impact from dust has been minimal. Forecasts call for an active season, a common theme of the past decade in the Atlantic Ocean and across much of the globe.
