Sandstorm
You always experience a storm which brings both light and heavy rain or ice particles like snow and hale but have you experienced sand? The particles of red, white, or yellow sand covers the sky like thin sheets of blanket. It can make the clearest sky as dark as the night. This type of storm is natural occurring but violent, mostly in the areas near deserts. It occurs usually during the day. It causes property damage and a lot of cleaning. It can be as tall as skyscrapers or even more.
Sandstorms are created by the convection currents when a certain area receives too much heat causes an unstable weather. As the wind blows strong air from place to place, it lifts to topsoil and carries sand particles thus creating a huge cloud storm. These are called sandstorms or dust storms.
Sandstorm or dust storm as many people call it is very dangerous. Sand is very minute, it can get into your garments and body especially your eyes, nose, ears, mouth down to your lungs if you accidentally inhale it and causes asphyxia to some. If irritation occurs, consult a doctor or go to the nearest hospital. Many individual who are already adapted to this natural phenomenon often wears eye protection, and covers the mouth and nose with a wet scarf. The sand will stick to the wet cloth and will not go further to your nose, mouth and lungs. This can protect you but always proceed with caution. If you’re at home, close all windows and doors and stay inside until the storm passes by. If you’re situated outside, you must move up to a higher and stable ground. The area in a sandstorm that is near the ground is the densest part, and the concentrations of sand particles are high. Depending on the weight of the objects and the power of the wind, objects can be carried by the storm and can hit you. If this happens find an area that can protect you from these flying objects and the sand itself.
Sometimes, these storms comes out of nowhere so if you are driving on the freeway and suddenly a dust storm comes your very way, pull over to the side of the road if possible. Turn off your car engine and headlights, and turn on your hazard light. This will ensure your protection from other moving vehicles in the freeway. During this unfortunate event, you cannot see anything that comes by; it clouds up everything that goes in its way. Remember to close all car vents that capture air from the outside going in, also roll up your windows for safety. Always try to update yourself with the current weather conditions to help you get prepared if things got out of hand.
Sandstorms are also accompanied by heavy rains. Sand cannot absorb the water thus creating flash floods in certain areas. Stay away from canals or ditches and move to higher ground. They accumulate water faster.