Sandstorms – The Watchers

Severe sandstorms engulf Saudi Arabia and Iraq

Rishav Kothari — Mon, 05 May 2025 16:55:39 +0000

Large sandstorms swept across multiple provinces across Saudi Arabia, with parts of Riyadh and Al Qassim experiencing near-zero visibility through Sunday and Monday, May 4 and 5, 2025.

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Severe sandstorms move across northern China, breaking wind records at 499 stations and prompting rare public advisories

Rishav Kothari — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 11:13:55 +0000

Chinese authorities warned citizens weighing less than 50 kg (110 lb) to stay indoors as a large-scale low-pressure system moving in from Mongolia brought record-breaking winds exceeding 150 km/h (93 mph) to parts of northern China. Over 499 weather stations broke April wind records as the system moved southeast through the weekend, causing widespread damage and placing millions under severe weather alerts.

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Dust and sandstorms in Saudi Arabia dip to 20-year low

Mehak Kalra — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 13:49:19 +0000

Saudi Arabia just experienced its calmest May in two decades when it comes to sandstorms, with a decrease of 80%, according to Jumaan Al-Qahtani, a top official at the National Center for Meteorology.

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Massive sandstorm engulfs parts of Jordan

TW — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 09:40:01 +0000

A massive sandstorm swept through several areas of Jordan, including the city of Azraq and the capital Amman, on October 15, 2023. The event resulted in drastically reduced visibility and poor air quality, prompting local authorities to issue multiple safety warnings.

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Most extensive sandstorm of the year hits Beijing and surrounding provinces, China

Teo Blašković — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:57:47 +0000

Beijing and several other provinces in China were hit by the most extensive sandstorm of the year so far, causing thick clouds of sand to significantly reduce visibility and increase air pollution to hazardous levels.

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Large sandstorm forms on the Mongolian plateau

Teo Blašković — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 16:30:38 +0000

A large sandstorm formed on the Mongolian plateau on March 21, 2023, bringing visibility at the border of China and Mongolia to less than 500 m (1 640 feet).

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Rare winter sandstorm hits Beijing, China

Teo Blašković — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:45:10 +0000

A rare winter sandstorm swept over northern China on Monday, December 12, 2022, causing Beijing to suffer its worst bout of air pollution in nearly two years. This is the latest sand and dust warning signal issued by Beijing since 2015.

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Massive sandstorm engulfs parts of Qinghai, plunging towns into darkness, China

Teo Blašković — Sat, 23 Jul 2022 10:58:00 +0000

A massive sandstorm engulfed parts of northwest China's Qinghai Province on July 20, 2022, disrupting traffic and plugging towns into darkness.

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Destructive derecho slams Midwest and Northern Plains, creating rare dust storm over Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota, U.S.

Teo Blašković — Fri, 13 May 2022 22:23:48 +0000

A fast-moving line of severe thunderstorms, known as a derecho, developed in central Nebraska on May 12, 2022, bringing hurricane-force winds and creating a rare, large wall of dust that swept over parts of Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota, creating near-zero visibility on state highways.

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Massive sandstorm forms over Mongolia, hits China’s capital Beijing as the worst in a decade

Teo Blašković — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 09:37:00 +0000

A massive sandstorm formed over Mongolia on Sunday, March 14, 2021, and moved into northern China, sweeping over capital Beijing on Monday as the city's worst sandstorm in a decade. In Mongolia, the storm left at least 341 people missing. The China...

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