File:Dust over the Persian Gulf (MODIS 2022-05-01).jpg

English: On April 29, 2022, a fast-moving dust storm stretched across the Persian Gulf. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the scene on that same day. The camel-colored dust appears to rise in Saudi Arabia and crosses both Saudi Arabia’s Farasan Islands and the Dahlak Archipelago of Eritrea then blows over the coast of mainland Eritrea. Dust storms are common natural hazards over the Persian Gulf throughout the year. Dust storms rising from the Arabian Peninsula, which is rich in sand seas, typically peak during spring and early summer when strong northwesterly winds, known as the shamal, push dust southward across the Persian Gulf. Such winds can rise rapidly and become quite fierce, sometimes reaching gale force strength.