A haboob is a type of intense sandstorm commonly observed in the Sahara desert (typically Sudan), as well as across the Arabian Peninsula, throughout Kuwait, and in the most arid regions of Iraq. The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. ^[1] African haboobs result from the northward summer shift of the intertropical front into North Africa, bringing moisture from the Gulf of Guinea. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The Gulf of Guinea is the part of the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Africa. Haboob winds in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Kuwait are frequently created by the collapse of a thunderstorm. The southwestern deserts of Arizona, including Yuma and Phoenix, also experience haboobs. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Yuma is a city in and the County seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, [1] During thunderstorm formation, winds move in a direction opposite to the storm's travel, and they will move from all directions into the thunderstorm. When the storm collapses and begins to release precipitation, wind directions reverse, gusting outward from the storm and generally gusting the strongest in the direction of the storm's travel.

When this downdraft, or "downburst", reaches the ground, dry, loose sand from the desert settings is essentially blown up, creating a wall of sediment preceding the storm cloud. Downburst damagejpg|thumb|right|300px|Downburst damages in a straight line This wall of sand can be up to 100 km (62 miles) wide and several kilometers in elevation. At their strongest, haboob winds can travel at 35-50 km/h (20-30 mph), and they may approach with little to no warning. Often rain is not seen at the ground level as it evaporates in the hot, dry air (a phenomenon known as virga), though on occasion when the rain does persist, the precipitation can contain a considerable quantity of dust (severe cases called "mud storms"). In Meteorology, virga is an observable streak or shaft of precipitation that falls from a Cloud but evaporates before reaching the ground Eye and respiratory system protection are advisable for anyone who must be outside during a haboob -- moving to a place of shelter is highly desirable during a strong event.

Across North Africa and the Near East, there are many regional names for this unique sandstorm. The word haboob comes from the Arabic word هبوب "strong wind or 'phenomenon'. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Wind is the flow of Air or other Gases that compose an Atmosphere (including but not limited to the Earth's) "

See also

• Dust storm
• Operation Eagle Claw
• Sand storm

Notes

1. ^ Sutton, L. Operation Eagle Claw (or Operation Evening Light) was a United States military operation to rescue the 53 hostages from the U J. 1925. Haboobs. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 51:25-25.

Haboob blowing into Ahwatukee (Phoenix), Arizona

Haboob blowing into Ahwatukee (Phoenix), Arizona

External links

• Haboobs, Arizona Department of Transportation.
• The Bibliography of Aeolian Research
• Yahoo Video of a Phoenix Haboob