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August 5, 2018 - Dust storm moving from Morocco towards Portugal
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Hot, dry, air poured northward from Africa in late July and early August, 2018, carrying a heavy load of Saharan dust towards Spain and Portugal. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of swirling sand approaching the Iberian Peninsula on August 2.
Despite the fact that southerly mid-level winds brought heavy dust to much of Spain and Portugal, especially in the west, the worst impact wasn’t dust – it was heat. Record-breaking heat. The week-long heat wave peaked on August 4 when temperatures spiked as high as 45.4 °C (113.7 °F) in Evora, Portugal, breaking the previous record of 44.5 °C (112.1 °F), according to Severe Weather Europe. On the same day, peak afternoon temperatures in Spain reached 46.6 °C (115.9 °F) in El Granado and 46.0 °C (114.8 °F) in Badajoz.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/2/2018
Resolutions:
1km (2.3 MB), 500m (6.3 MB), 250m (5.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Hot, dry, air poured northward from Africa in late July and early August, 2018, carrying a heavy load of Saharan dust towards Spain and Portugal. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of swirling sand approaching the Iberian Peninsula on August 2.
Despite the fact that southerly mid-level winds brought heavy dust to much of Spain and Portugal, especially in the west, the worst impact wasn’t dust – it was heat. Record-breaking heat. The week-long heat wave peaked on August 4 when temperatures spiked as high as 45.4 °C (113.7 °F) in Evora, Portugal, breaking the previous record of 44.5 °C (112.1 °F), according to Severe Weather Europe. On the same day, peak afternoon temperatures in Spain reached 46.6 °C (115.9 °F) in El Granado and 46.0 °C (114.8 °F) in Badajoz.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/2/2018
Resolutions:
1km (2.3 MB), 500m (6.3 MB), 250m (5.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
