dust storm

American  

[duhst stawrm] / ˈdʌst ˌstɔrm /

Or duststorm

noun

Meteorology.

1. an occurrence of strong winds permeating the air with fine particles of dust over an extensive area of normally arable land during a period of drought.

   It was a time of danger and despair on the prairie, with one dust storm after another.

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dust storm British  

noun

1. a windstorm that whips up clouds of dust

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Etymology

Origin of dust storm

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

She recalls using earth observation data provided by Eumetsat, a European satellite agency, to monitor a major dust storm in March.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2024

But just when we thought we’d skirted yet another meteorological event, a white-out dust storm darkened the once-blue sky on Sunday, Sept. 1 — Burning Man’s last day.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2024

On Saturday, under a cloud-dotted blue sky and before a dust storm rolled in, he spoke of the lack of shade at Silvestre Jr.’s elementary school.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2024

Combination of newly plowed fields & gusty northwest winds is generating a dust storm in this area.

From Washington Post • May 1, 2023

In the great Martian dust storm of 1971, spectral features of the dust were obtained by the Mariner 9 infrared spectrometer.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• sandstorm