@yrag: They are probably all connected to our general lack of rainfall of late. No rain means empty damns and no water supply for farms (and even cities) so we are drought declared. And without the rain we also have a dry crispy bushland which equals high fire danger. And the inland areas are just so dry from the drought that there is no moisture in the dirt so it gets pick up by anything stronger than a stiff breeze.
I wouldn't be surprised if we had another one at some point.
Oof. Reminds me of when San Diego was practically on fire when I was in college, 2003-ish. The skies were orange, the skies were ashy, the air was almost unbreatheable.
@UlisesHz: I was just thinking that - I am amazed the kids in that video seemed to hold it together. If I was their age (maybe 7 years old?) when the sky went from yellow to red to black within a minute I would have absolutely shat myself and probably shat everyone else too.
@92BuickLeSabre: Maybe it's the worst in the region, but they do happen often over the Sahara. They get bad enough at times to even reach over Florida and have been linked to lung disease, algal blooms, and the decline of coral reefs in the region.
09/24/09
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09/23/09
What's going on? Australia's been on the bad end of the climate stick of late.
Good luck down there!
09/23/09
I wouldn't be surprised if we had another one at some point.
09/23/09
09/23/09
@eviladrian:
09/24/09
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09/23/09
My iPod just played "Riders on the Storm".
09/23/09
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07/07/09
Being a desert region, I'm not surprised to see Iraq gets them too.
07/07/09
[www.reuters.com]
You sure must be an unlucky pilot to be involved with that many catastrophic dust storms.
07/07/09
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