Habub
Habub in al-Asad, Iraq
Sandstorm in Niger
The habub ( Arabic هبوب Habūb , German strong wind , alternative spelling Haboob ) is a sandstorm thatcan reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour andstir upthe sand at heights of up to 900 meters. Habubs occur in the Sahara region fromMay to September.
The sandstorm lasts about three hours and is accompanied by thunderstorms in its final phase . It occurs when the monsoon wind hits dry layers of air. Downdrafts from the storm front stir up huge amounts of dust , which greatly changes the appearance of the desert landscape .
There are two types of habubs in the Sahara:
- In the south a strong and hot one that causes a real sandstorm.
- In the north the habub is colder and moves less sand than the south.
There are also habubs in the southwestern United States . Here mainly in the arid regions and prairie areas of Texas , New Mexico and Arizona .
See also
Commons : Haboobs - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
literature
- John E. Oliver: Encyclopedia of World Climatology . 2008, ISBN 978-1-4020-3264-6 , pp. 467–475 , entry under Local Winds ( limited preview in Google Book search).