Biting the dust

March is definitely one of the best month to enjoy outdoor activities here in Kuwait. Temperatures are very pleasant since morning till night and it is usually sunny, of course. However, there are days when, suddenly, the sky turns orange, clouds of dust are coming, city is falling into darkness and drops of brown water dirty everything. These are the huge sandstorms which, sometimes, happen in this place, leaving spectacular images.

This picture was taken at 4 in the afternoon

The phenomenon of sandstorm takes place generally in arid areas, like the Arabian Peninsula, more often during summer time. They happen when there is a high thermal contrast between the desert surface and the air in the atmosphere. This provokes an increase in wind power, which moves the sand up, pushing it to other areas, such as the city.

Thanks, Esperanza, for the picture

You can imagine the consequences of this kind of storms. The first and the most dangerous thing is the lack of visibility, which can cause serious troubles if you go by car. If you are walking in the street, the particles of sand can affect the airways and eyes. After the storm, everything is really dirty and the car washers make a pile of money the next day.

At the moment, since I am here, I just experienced this atmospheric phenomenon three times and, luckily, I have been always under a shelter. I don’t know to what extent this kind of incidences can be predicted but, actually it surprised to everyone few days ago.