March 4, 2015 - Dust storms in Chad and Sudan

Dust storms in Chad and Sudan

Rapid development of a cyclonic system over Libya, Egypt, Chad and Sudan sent huge clouds of dust rolling over the region in late February, 2015.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on February 24. The clouds of dust have formed formidable fronts as they roll to the southwest over Chad (west) and Sudan (east). The landscape behind the dust line is completely obscured by the thick tan dust, while the clear air ahead of the dust line allows the land to be visualized completely from space.

Dust storms are common this time of year, and are a major natural hazard of the region.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 2/24/2015
Resolutions: 1km (314.5 KB), 500m (1 MB), 250m (2.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC