Major Dust Storm Hits Middle East, Impacts Travel and Air Quality, and Turns the Sky Bright Orange

Chris Dolce
Published: April 2,2015


 

A dust storm swept through Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates Wednesday into Thursday, creating poor visibility that has impacted travel and caused bad air quality in the region. The dust storm was so large it could be seen by satellites in space.

Satellite image of the dust storm in the Middle East on April 2, 2015. Arrows are pointing to the large area of dust.
(NASA)

On Wednesday, the dust storm turned the sky bright orange in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Schools were closed in the city on Thursday, according to gulfnews.com.
The Associated Press reports that the dust storm impacted air travel in both the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, causing flights to be diverted or delayed.
Ground transportation was also impacted in the region. In the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi, police reported that a 24-year-old was airlifted to the hospital after being seriously injured in a traffic accident caused by the reduced visibility.
Police urged motorists to slow down and take extra precautions because of the weather. Dubai transit authorities stopped bus services to Abu Dhabi, citing "zero visibility" caused by the storm.
In Dubai, hospitals were seeing an increase in patients complaining of breathing difficulties. Migrant construction workers and others whose jobs kept them outside donned surgical masks or wrapped scarves over their faces to help keep the dust out of their lungs.
The United Arab Emirates' National Center of Meteorology and Seismology was forecasting windy conditions on Friday with gradually improving visibility.
Satellite imagery showed the widespread dust storm moving southward into Yemen and Oman as of Thursday afternoon, local time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

PHOTOS: Middle East Dust Storm