July 4th 2023.
A terrifying sandstorm recently wreaked havoc in the city of Hami, located in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The storm was filmed by locals as it swept in with huge, ominous dust clouds forming a 300ft-high wall of sand that completely swamped the city. In the footage, the deluge of dust could be seen towering high above the city's tallest buildings, turning the hazy sky orange and completely obliterating visibility.
The storm had been preceded by a yellow weather warning for the area, which is the second lowest alert on the four-tier scale and means there is a ‘moderate’ risk of danger. The storm reportedly lasted for about an hour-and-a-half before eventually dissipating. Other videos filmed by local residents showed high speed winds amid the height of the blizzard.
Hami lies just to the west of the Gobi Desert which spans 500,000 square miles across northern China and Mongolia. Sandstorms, also known as haboobs, are intense storms that are carried on the wind in desert regions of the world. According to the World Meteorological Organization, they are usually ‘caused by thunderstorms – or strong pressure gradients associated with cyclones – which increase wind speed over a wide area’. These strong winds lift large amounts of sand and dust from bare, dry soils into the atmosphere, transporting them hundreds to thousands of kilometres away.
Haboobs can pose a serious risk to human health, both externally and internally. Dust and sand particles can cause skin and eye irritations, such as conjunctivitis, while finer particles can cause problems for the respiratory system and organs. People with underlying health issues or suffering from asthma can be severely affected by a sandstorm, with residents always urged to stay inside if one strikes. It also causes a danger to drivers. The National Weather Service says that dust storms usually arrive suddenly and can cause blinding, choking dust that can quickly reduce visibility, causing accidents.
In 2021, a freak sandstorm caused a 22-car wreckage which claimed the lives of eight people, including children, in Utah, USA. Last year, one person was killed and dozens were injured when a 50mph sandstorm caused a stage to collapse at a festival near Valencia in Spain. This goes to show just how serious these storms can be, and how important it is to take the necessary precautions.
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