November 17, 2012 - Dust storms in Kansas and Colorado

Dust storms in Kansas and Colorado

A dust storm blew across the Kansas-Colorado border on November 10, 2012, as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image. The dust storm occurred along the Arkansas River, which flows roughly eastward from the Rocky Mountains toward the Mississippi River.

The dust storm struck in the midst of an exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. By November 2012, the area along the border between Colorado and Kansas had experienced dry conditions for several months, as did a much larger region. In July 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared the largest natural-disaster area in U.S. history due to drought conditions, and this region was part of the disaster area.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 11/10/2012
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC