When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, orbiting on NASA’s Aqua satellite, captured this image at midday, the dust storm stretched from southeast of Baghdad, across the city of Nasiriyah and into a remote northern stretch of the Saudi kingdom.

While the origin of the plume is not obvious in this image, weather reports from the area indicate the sand blew from northwestern Saudi Arabia into southern Iraq.

Airport observations from Tallil, just outside Nasiriyah, show the wind shifted from the west to the south as the cloud of dust passed.

Wind gusts of up to 32 mph (50 km/h) were reported at the height of the sandstorm.

The midday temperature around Nasiriyah on June 3 hovered at a searing 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 Celsius).

Gusty winds often whip up such clouds of sand from the desert landscapes typical of the Saudi Peninsula.

Image: NASA's MODIS Rapid Response System
Digg This