Photographs of a Sandstorm as it Approaches
I hear the sand patter like rain against the metal walls and brush across the windowpanes. A fine silt accumulates beneath the door and on the window ledge. The trailer shakes in a sudden gust.
All one to me -- sandstorm or sunshine I am content, so long as I have something to eat, good health, the earth to take my stand on, and light behind the eyes to see by. ---- Edward Abbey (Desert Solitaire)
I was at work a few days ago when we got warning a sandstorm was approaching.
I had never been in a sandstorm before. The sand gets everywhere, you can taste the granules in your mouth. It gets into your eyes to annoy and irritate. The sky darkens and becomes orange. The distance you can see is severely reduced.
So I want to share with all of you a few photos collected from multiple people, showing different views of the storm as it approached.
This was only a small one, it was over in 90 minutes or so.
Here is a post from @chris.roy showing the same sandstorm from inside Abu Dhabi. https://steemit.com/deutsch/@chris.roy/3-abu-dhabi-the-sandstorm-englisch-german
Living in Arizona, I've seen this more than a few times. There's a certain magnificence to them.
Hmm, the Catalinas must block them. Or maybe, since I have only lived in AZ for two years, there hasn't been one.
You're in Tucson?
They almost invariably come from the south during monsoon season. They started calling them haboobs somewhere along the line, though it's a new name to me. We've always just called them dust storms. :) They can be particularly intense along I-10 west and south of Phoenix and east of Tucson. It's aggravated by farmers who leave their fields without cover crops.
Here's one from just a week ago, from Sky Harbor. Once they turn for takeoff, unless you just like to watch, skip to 8:00 and you'll see it from the air.
I know they closed down the I-10 a few times recently because of the sandstorms. None have been in Tucson in the 2 years I have lived there. The haboob name is new to me as well.
The video was pretty cool, I liked to see it from the air like that.
That is amazing and scary.
Yes, after being out in it I have learned it is best to stay inside. If you must be outside wear goggles and a cloth/mask to cover your nose and mouth.