In conjunction with Ken Burns new documentary film entitled “The Dust Bowl” which is premiering November 18th and 19th on PBS, I thought a post about those urban areas around the world that are subject to dust storms, sand storms, and haboobs on a fairly regular basis would be interesting. To my surprise, there are a lot more urban areas impacted by these events than I first thought (see list below).

While the Dust Bowl was largely a human made environmental disaster, in many arid and semi-arid places these storms are a regular feature of the local climate. They can be stirred up by drought conditions, high winds, and even thunderstorms. Human actions that deplete topsoil, remove/alter natural vegetation, enhance global warming, and that build large population centers in geographic areas susceptible to these storms can lead to catastrophic consequences.

I also have to admit that these storms are amazing to see in videos, still photographs, and even satellite imagery. Just below this paragraph are five very impressive images of dust storms/sand storms/haboobs from recent history. Aside from the obvious traffic hazards associated with these impressive storms, they can also have huge environmental, economic, agricultural, and health related impacts. Needless to say, they should not be taken lightly, no matter how relatively innocent and captivating they may look.

Partial List of Urban Areas Impacted by Dust Storms, Sand Storms or Haboobs

Abilene, Texas

Agra, India

Ahmadabad, India

Alamogordo, New Mexico

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Alice Springs, Australia

Amman, Jordan

Ankara, Turkey

Baghdad, Iraq

Bakersfield, California

Basra, Iraq

Beijing, China

Boise, Idaho

Brisbane, Australia

Cairo, Egypt

Canberra, Australia

Cordoba, Argentina

Damascus, Syria

Delhi, India

Denver, Colorado

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Edmonton, Alberta

El Paso-Juarez, Texas-Mexico

Fez, Morocco

Fresno, California

Great Falls, Montana

Hutchinson, Kansas

Hyderabad, India

Johannesburg, South Africa

Jerusalem, Israel

Kabul, Afghanistan

Kano, Nigeria

Karachi, Pakistan

Khartoum, Sudan

Kuwait City, Kuwait

Las Cruces, New Mexico

Las Vegas, Nevada

Lethbridge, Alberta

Lhasa, Tibet, China

Lubbock, Texas

Mexicali, Mexico

Midland-Odessa, Texas

Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Moscow, Russia

Muscat, Oman

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Phoenix, Arizona

Rabat, Morocco

Regina, Saskatchewan

Reno, Nevada

Richland-Pasco-Kennewick, Washington

Roswell, New Mexico

Rostov, Russia

Salt Lake City, Utah

San Angelo, Texas

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Spokane, Washington

Sydney, Australia

Tehran, Iran

Timbuktu, Mali

Torreon, Mexico

Tucson, Arizona

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Wichita, Kansas

Wichita Falls, Texas

Yakima, Washington

Yekaterinburg, Russia

Yuma, Arizona

Here’s a visual link to a book available on Amazon about an especially bad dust storm that occurred in 1935.