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June 12, 2026 - Dust in Afghanistan
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Strong winds sent dust flying across Afghanistan and southwestern Pakistan in mid-June 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the dust storm on June 9.
The light tan dust appears to rise from the dry lakebeds in the Hamun wetlands, which lie on the border between Iran (west) and Afghanistan (east). The thick plumes of dust spread out as the wind carries dust south. Some dust spreads out to lightly blanket the low elevations north of the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan. A thicker column crosses the mountains to cover skies in Pakistan.
Dust storms can happen any time of the year in Afghanistan. On average, Afghanistan experiences blowing dust one to two days per month in the winter and six days per month at the height of the summer. Zabon, an Iranian city located near the border in the Hamun wetlands, reports 81 dust storms per year.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/9/2026
Resolutions:
1km (168.3 KB), 500m (350.2 KB), 250m (446.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Strong winds sent dust flying across Afghanistan and southwestern Pakistan in mid-June 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the dust storm on June 9.
The light tan dust appears to rise from the dry lakebeds in the Hamun wetlands, which lie on the border between Iran (west) and Afghanistan (east). The thick plumes of dust spread out as the wind carries dust south. Some dust spreads out to lightly blanket the low elevations north of the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan. A thicker column crosses the mountains to cover skies in Pakistan.
Dust storms can happen any time of the year in Afghanistan. On average, Afghanistan experiences blowing dust one to two days per month in the winter and six days per month at the height of the summer. Zabon, an Iranian city located near the border in the Hamun wetlands, reports 81 dust storms per year.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/9/2026
Resolutions:
1km (168.3 KB), 500m (350.2 KB), 250m (446.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
