Massive dust and sand storm hits Middle East, sending hundreds to hospitals

Massive dust and sand storm hits Middle East, sending hundreds to hospitals

A massive dust and sand storm swept over northern Saudi Arabia, Syria, parts of Jordan and much of Iraq on October 29, 2017, significantly reducing visibility and sending a large number of people to hospitals. In Kurdistan Region's capital city of Erbil (Iraq),…

Huge plume of Saharan dust over the Atlantic Ocean

Huge plume of Saharan dust over the Atlantic Ocean

This week's strong winds lofted a huge dust plume from western Africa and carried it toward the northeast into Europe and west toward Cabo Verde Islands. The event is ongoing, reaching far into eastern Europe and over the Atlantic Ocean. While very high load of…

Major Saharan dust event affecting Italy and the Balkans

Major Saharan dust event affecting Italy and the Balkans

A significant amount of Saharan dust is being transported from northern Africa into Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Hungary and Serbia today. The event is expected to last for several days and reach far into eastern Europe. This is already…

Thick cloud of Saharan dust moving over SE Europe

Thick cloud of Saharan dust moving over SE Europe

A large amount of Saharan dust was swept up into a low pressure system over north Africa on February 21, 2017. Thick dust cloud has already reached Spain and Portugal and is now moving east, toward Italy, Malta and the Balkans. The event is expected to last into…

London’s 1952 killer fog mystery solved

London’s 1952 killer fog mystery solved

A new study finally revealed the exact cause of the 1952 killer fog which hovered over London for several days. The fog contained large amounts of pollutants which caused widespread breathing problems and killed thousands of city residents. The fog covered London…

Unseasonal dust storm sweeps through Phoenix

Unseasonal dust storm sweeps through Phoenix

An intense dust storm accompanied by heavy rainfall, strong winds and lightning swept through Phoenix, Arizona on Thursday, November 3, 2016. The storm spread over Phoenix during the late afternoon hours (local time), surprising the residents and causing traffic…

Hazardous smog wraps Delhi, the worst in last 17 years

Hazardous smog wraps Delhi, the worst in last 17 years

A thick layer of hazardous smog blanketed New Delhi, India four days ago and shows no sign of loosening the grip. On November 3, 2016, between 07:00 and 09:00 (local time), Palam Observatory reported the dense smog layer has dropped the visibility to only 50 m (164…

Major sandstorm sweeps through northwest China

Major sandstorm sweeps through northwest China

A major sandstorm has swept through parts of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on May 1, 2016, and continued into May 2, disrupting traffic and causing severe air pollution. The sandstorm has struck some counties in south Xinjiang since Saturday…