Strong winds raised an impressive column of dust and sand in California, paralyzing traffic
Of
Lucrezia Ciotti
Published November 14, 2024 at 9:01 pm
The California she was hit by a violent one storm Of dust and sand, which drastically reduced visibility and caused serious inconvenience to the population, with numerous damages and interruptions to services.
Dust storm in California: inconvenience for the population
The dust wave caused major disruptions across Central California, leaving thousands of residents dead without electricity. Pacific Gas & Electric reported power outages for approximately 15,000 Fresno County residents, the Los Angeles Times.
The National Weather Service has issued a dust storm warning for Fresno County, advising motorists to use extreme caution. The strong winds raised a giant column of dust and sand which paralyzed traffic, with dozens of vehicles stopped along Highway 99 due to virtually zero visibility.
High concern over California dust storm: That’s what a haboob is
The National Weather Service has defined l’haboob a rare phenomenon, explaining that its formation depends on specific atmospheric conditions. Antoinette Serrato, a meteorologist from the Hanford office, stressed that this is an exceptional event for California, since similar storms are typical of desert areas such as the Sahara and the Middle East.
Although this type of event is more frequently recorded in the eastern regions of the state, the haboob is not a new phenomenon in California. The storm is formed as a result of a thunderstorm in periods of extreme drought in regions with arid lands.
