Dust Storm

What to know about massive dust storms called haboobs in Southwest US

Massive walls of dust and debris called haboobs that roll through the Southwest U.S. can be awe-inspiring and terrifying, especially for motorists caught in their path. Thunderstorms spawn the phenomenon and can create a wall of dust thousands of feet tall and several miles wide, reaching speeds of 60 mph (97 kpm) or more. Here's what to know: How do haboobs form? Thunderstorms can produce strong downdrafts that hit the ground at 50-80 mph (80-129 kph) and then spread in all directions, said Sean Benedict, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Phoenix office. The winds stir up loose dust and dirt, including from arid areas and farm fields, that get blown along in front of the approaching storm cell. If thunderstorms don't keep developing, the dust dissipates. But rain-cooled air in front of a storm can keep pushing warm air upward, generating new storms and more downdrafts, Benedict said. When that happens, the haboob can keep growing, and some travel as far as 100 m

Delhi-NCR struck by thunderstorm: IMD issues red alert, power cuts hit city

Earlier on Saturday, the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Delhi and nearby areas, warning of strong thunderstorms, rain, and high-speed winds over the next two to three hours

Severe storm lashes Noida, Greater Noida; outages, chaos reported

Noida recorded light rain and strong winds between 30-50 kmph on Saturday as a dust storm battered the region for a second day, causing outages, damage and major disruptions

Noida society ravaged by storm: Shop flies off, high-rise windows collapse

Strong winds and dust swept through Noida, shattering windows, collapsing doors, and lifting a shop into the air in a viral video from JP Aman Society in Sector 151

AAP-BJP spar over worsening air quality after dust storm batters Delhi

A sudden dust storm from Rajasthan engulfed Delhi, pushing air quality into the 'poor' zone and igniting a sharp political blame game between AAP and BJP

Thick layer of dust engulfs Delhi-NCR, reduces visibility across key areas

A thick blanket of dust covered Delhi-NCR reducing visibility disrupting commutes, while IMD tracked a potential Cyclone Shakti likely to form over the Andaman Sea

'Hostage-like' chaos at Delhi airport: Over 50 flights delayed, flyers fume

A powerful dust storm caused confusion and chaos at Delhi airport, with over 50 flights delayed, 25 diverted, and 7 cancelled, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and frustrated

Delhi hit by dust storm, flights disrupted; heatwave to return next week

A powerful dust storm hit Delhi causing disruptions and a death, as IMD warned of more storms ahead of a heatwave

At least 37 dead as tornadoes, wildfires, and blinding dust sweep across US

Residents pounded by unusually vicious weather across parts of the US surveyed damage Sunday from violent tornadoes, high winds and blinding dust storms that decimated homes and other structures and left at least 37 people dead. National Weather Service meteorologist Cody Snell said tornado watches remained in effect for portions of the Carolinas, east Georgia and northern Florida. He said the main threat would be damaging winds, but there is the possibility of more tornadoes. As we go through the day today, there still is the potential for severe weather from, say, the upper Ohio Valley and western Pennsylvania down through the rest of the mid-Atlantic and Southeast as we have this cold front that's still moving across the country, and it won't clear the East Coast until later on tonight, Snell said. The dynamic storm from Friday through Sunday earned an unusual high risk designation from weather forecasters. Still, experts said it's not unusual to see such weather extremes in ...

Tropical storm Kong-rey threatens Shanghai, China coast after Taiwan

Typhoon Kong-rey weakened to a tropical storm overnight and was forecast to bring heavy rain and high winds to Shanghai and other parts of China's east coast Friday. The storm crossed Taiwan at typhoon strength on Thursday, bringing down trees and causing landslides that covered roads and damaged houses. Two people died and more than 500 others were injured. Authorities in Taiwan's east coast province of Hualien said they had restored contact with a Czech couple feared missing. The two had pitched a tent in Taroko National Park and were in good condition, according to the official Central News Agency. Kong-rey, which is a Cambodian name, was heading northeast along the Chinese coast and could make landfall Friday afternoon in Zhejiang province before veering back out to sea, the National Meteorological Center said. The passing storm is expected to affect Shanghai and parts of Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, with torrential rain of 10 to 12 centimeters (4 to 5 inches) possible in so

DDMA meeting: Authorities discuss dust mitigation, staggered office timings

Dust removal and mitigation on a mission mode will be the focus area of the multiple agencies engaged with the implementation of anti-pollution measures in the city grappling with deteriorating air quality, authorities decided in a DDMA meeting on Thursday. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai, after the meeting, said that the timings of the government offices in Delhi may be changed to control pollution. "There was discussion on changing the timings of both central and state government offices in Delhi to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads at the same time," he said in a statement. Delhi government has requested the LG to discuss with the central government the possibility of conducting artificial rain in Delhi on a pilot basis, so that action can be taken in emergency situations, he said. The LG has assured of the same. A special drive will be launched to stop diesel buses, from the neighbouring states, from entering the city, the minister said and warned of action agains

Tropical storm Trami tracks towards Philippines' coast, schools shut

The Philippine central bank on Wednesday suspended currency trading and monetary operations for the day. Stock market trading operated as normal

Oscar brings winds, heavy rains to eastern Cuba after striking Bahamas

Tropical Storm Oscar brought heavy rains and winds to Cuba, an island already beleaguered by a massive power outage, late Sunday after brushing the Bahamas. It made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) in the eastern Cuban province of Guantanamo, near the city of Baracoa, on Sunday evening. Oscar had weakened to a tropical storm with 70 mph (110 kph) winds by late Sunday, the US National Hurricane Centre said. The storm was 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Guantanamo moving west-northwest at 6 mph (10 kph). Thunderstorms and rain, along with moderate flooding in low-lying areas, were reported in the country's eastern provinces. Cuban media said 2-metre (6.5-feet) swells were hitting the coast and roofs and walls in Baracoa had been damaged. Authorities have set up 20 centres for evacuees. The system is expected to move across eastern Cuba on Sunday night and Monday. Forecasters said 6 to 12 inches (15 to 31 centimeters) of rain are ..

Heavy rain partially affects normal life in several parts of West Bengal

Heavy rain partially affected normal life in several places of West Bengal as the Met office on Thursday forecast heavy downpour in the sub-Himalayan districts of the state till Friday. Fairly widespread rain is likely over many places in West Bengal during the next three days and scattered to fairly widespread rain during the subsequent four days, it said in a forecast. The Met warned of very heavy rain with extremely heavy downpour at one or two places in the sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Coochbehar till Friday morning. All the districts in south Bengal, including Kolkata, are also likely to receive heavy rain till Friday morning, it said. Owing to moderate to heavy rain overnight, normal life was partially affected in Kolkata and several other districts of south Bengal. School and office-goers had a tough time reaching their destination on Thursday morning owing to moderate to heavy downpour through the night. Some streets in Kolk

US Gulf of Mexico oil firms begin hurricane damage checks, ports reopen

The storm likely disrupted about 1.5 million barrels of Gulf of Mexico production, analysts at UBS estimated, and will reduce the region's monthly oil production by 50,000 bpd

Rain lashes Delhi, parts of North India to get heavy rain till September 14

A depression that formed over the Bay of Bengal and has now settled over Northwest Madhya Pradesh and adjoining southwest Uttar Pradesh is one of the factors for the downpour

Hurricane Ernesto becomes Category 2 storm as it races toward Bermuda

At 11 p.m. ET on Thursday (0300 GMT Friday) it was 410 miles (660 km) south-southwest of Bermuda as it headed north, packing winds of 100 mph (155 kph)

Dust storm hits Delhi-NCR, maximum temperature reaches 41.2 degrees Celsius

A strong dust storm hit several parts of Delhi-NCR on Thursday night, the weather department said. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), The city is experiencing a change in the weather due to the impact of a new western disturbance. Delhiites breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday as the scorching heat took a slight break with the maximum temperature dropping from 44 degrees Celsius a day ago to 41.2 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, according to the weather department. The minimum temperature settled at 24.6 degrees Celsius, three notches below the normal while the relative humidity oscillated between 39 per cent and 57 per cent, according to the IMD bulletin. While Safdarjung, the city's primary weather station, noted a high of 41.2 degrees Celsius, Delhi's other weather stations such as Najafgarh and Narela recorded maximum temperatures of 44.4 degrees Celsius and 42.8 degrees Celsius, respectively. The Aya Nagar station noted a high of 43.2 degrees Celsi

Dust storm, cloudy sky provide respite from heatwave conditions in Delhi

Delhi experienced a sudden shift in weather on Saturday afternoon as a dust storm swept through the city accompanied by a cloudy sky. The change in the weather brought some relief for the city, which has been experiencing severe heatwave conditions for the last five days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted earlier that due to western disturbances, the national capital might experience a change in weather, including cloudy skies, a dust storm or a thunderstorm with very light rain accompanied by gusty winds. The weather office said the maximum temperature in the city is likely to settle around 43 degrees Celsius.

Illegal hoardings in Maha: 15 cases lodged; billboards, banners removed

As many as 15 cases pertaining to illegal hoardings have been registered in Maharashtra's Latur city, including 11 on a single day, civic officials said. The Latur Municipal Corporation authorities removed two hoardings and 15 banners from the city on Monday, they said. The action was taken against the backdrop of the collapse of an illegal hoarding in Mumbai on May 13, which claimed 16 lives and injured several others. The Latur civic body had given a deadline till Sunday for the removal of illegal hoardings from the city, an official release said on Monday. After the deadline ended, 11 cases related to illegal hoardings were registered on Monday, it said. Since last week (after the hoarding crash incident in Mumbai), a total of 15 cases have been registered, the civic body said. Deputy municipal commissioner Dr Punjab Khansole recently held a meeting with the officials concerned and instructed them to accelerate the process and file cases against violators. The corporation had