Dust Storm over Colorado and Kansas

Dust Storm over Colorado and Kansas

Winds in excess of 30 miles per hour blew across most of the midwestern United States on April 18, 2004. This true-color scene shows a large dust storm blowing from eastern Colorado into western Kansas, as a result of the strong winds, measured at near hurricane force in this region. According to news reports, the storm reduced visibility at the surface to less than a mile and contributed to a number of car accidents in the region, including a 17-car pileup near Burlington, CO.

This image was acquired on April 18 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite.

Image courtesy Liam Gumley, Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison