Topic summary
Sandstorm
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Dust storm.
Physical and environmental effects
A sandstorm can transport and carry large volumes of sand unexpectedly. Dust storms can carry large amounts of dust, with the leading edge being composed of a wall of thick dust as much as 1.6 km (5,200 ft) high. Dust and sand storms which come off the Sahara Desert are locally known as a simoom or simoon. The haboob is a sandstorm prevalent in the region of Sudan around Khartoum, with occurrences being most common in the summer.