Middle East Dust Storm - early September 2015

[Simon Culling]

There has been a significant and long lasting dust storm over large parts of the Middle east in early September. This was not a localised dust storm caused by a single thunderstorm or 'haboob', but something much larger resulting from a synoptic scale system.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34185291

It appears to have originated in Iraq at the beginning of the month as a low pressure system moved SE across the country triggering thunderstorms and a number of individual haboobs. The dust then spread west towards the Mediterranean coast and even as far as Cyprus. The air quality in this region will take some time to improve and made the UK news as part of the current Syrian migrants story.

NOAA's satellite MODIS system captured a good photo. See this link:

http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov//gallery/ind ... 2015-09-08

[Simon Culling]

NOAA's Earth Observatory has a couple of great photos of the dust as it reaches the Mediterranean:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/v ... d_readmore

[Simon Culling]

The METARS for Beirut International Airport for 8th September are interesting as the dust appears to have spread over the city without much in the way of wind or weather, i.e. the dust stirred up further to the east has just drifted westwards.

OLBA 080200Z VRB02KT 3000 BR BKN026 30/26 Q1008
OLBA 080300Z VRB02KT 3000 BR BKN026 29/27 Q1008 NO SIG
OLBA 080400Z 31002KT 3000 BR BKN026 29/27 Q1008
OLBA 080500Z VRB02KT 1000 DU VV/// 30/26 Q1009
OLBA 080600Z 25004KT 1000 DU VV/// 30/27 Q1009
OLBA 080700Z 23005KT 1000 DU VV//// 30/27 Q1009
OLBA 080800Z 25004KT 1000 DU VV/// 31/27 Q1009
OLBA 080900Z 26004KT 220V280 1000 DU VV/// 31/27 Q1008

These times are GMT and the local time in Beirut is 3 hours ahead of this.

[Manukau heads obs]

is that a dew point of 27 C?

[Simon Culling]

Yes Brian, that dew point figure is correct. Today in the mid afternoon it was 31*C/24*C at Beirut with similar values at both Haifa and Tel Aviv which are also on the Mediterranean coast. It gets much drier as you go inland (eastwards) into the Middle East.