Texas Dust Storms
The same weather system that brought snow and ice to the American Midwest just after Thanksgiving 2005 also kicked up significant dust in western Texas and eastern Mexico. The winds associated with this cold front also fanned the flames of grass fires in the region, adding smoke to the mixture of aerosols. The most obvious dust cloud is a pale beige dust plume swirling through Texas and Mexico. However, a second, more orange-colored cloud of dust blows across northern Texas. Parts of northern Texas saw wind speeds around 60 miles per hour. Resulting dust storms reduced visibility to just 2.5 miles in some areas, and swamped local fire departments with calls regarding both fires and downed power lines.
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team/Jeff Schmaltz