Haboob

Haboob

A haboob is a type of intense sandstorm commonly observed in the Sahara desert (typically Sudan), as well as across the Arabian Peninsula, throughout Kuwait, and in the most arid regions of Iraq. [Sutton, L.J. 1925. Haboobs. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 51:25-25.] African haboobs result from the northward summer shift of the intertropical front into North Africa, bringing moisture from the Gulf of Guinea. Haboob winds in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Kuwait are frequently created by the collapse of a thunderstorm. The southwestern deserts of Arizona, including Yuma and Phoenix, also experience haboobs. [Idso, S.B., Ingram, R.S. and Pritchard, J.M. 1972. An American haboob. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 53(10):930-955.] [Idso, S.B. 1973. Haboobs in Arizona. Weather 28(4):154-155.] [http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=49750&cl=3370735&ch=68276&src=news] During thunderstorm formation, winds move in a direction opposite to the storm's travel, and they will move from all directions into the thunderstorm. When the storm collapses and begins to release precipitation, wind directions reverse, gusting outward from the storm and generally gusting the strongest in the direction of the storm's travel. [Farquharson, J.S. 1937. Haboobs and instability in the Sudan. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 63(271):393-414.] [Lawson, T.J. 1971. Haboob structure at Khartoum. Weather 26(3):105-112.] [Membery, D.A. 1985. A gravity-wave haboob? Weather 40(7):214-221.]



Dust_Bowl_era_haboob_approaching_Spearman,_Texas_on_14_April_1935._(NOAA_Photo)Image:Haboob2.jpg|Haboob_blowing_into_Ahwatukee_(Phoenix),_Arizona_on_22_August_2003.Image:Sandstorm.jpg|A_massive_haboob_is_close_to_enveloping_a_military_camp_as_it_rolls_over_Al_Asad,_Iraq,_just_before_nightfall_on_April_27,_2005.

When this downdraft, or "downburst", reaches the ground, dry, loose sand from the desert settings is essentially blown up, creating a wall of sediment preceding the storm cloud. This wall of sand can be up to 100 km (62 miles) wide and several kilometers in elevation. At their strongest, haboob winds can travel at 35-50 km/h (20-30 mph), and they may approach with little to no warning. Often rain is not seen at the ground level as it evaporates in the hot, dry air (a phenomenon known as virga), though on occasion when the rain does persist, the precipitation can contain a considerable quantity of dust (severe cases called "mud storms"). Eye and respiratory system protection are advisable for anyone who must be outside during a haboob -- moving to a place of shelter is highly desirable during a strong event.

Across North Africa and the Near East, there are many regional names for this unique sandstorm. The word "haboob" comes from the Arabic word هبوب "strong wind or 'phenomenon'."

ee also

*Dust storm
*Operation Eagle Claw
*Sand storm

References

External links

* [http://www.azdot.gov/CCPartnerships/haboob/index.asp Haboobs, Arizona Department of Transportation.]
* [http://www.lbk.ars.usda.gov/wewc/biblio/bar.htm The Bibliography of Aeolian Research]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Haboob —   [hə buːb, englisch], Staubsturm, Habub. * * * Ha|boob [hə bu:b; engl. haboob < arab. habūb]: ↑Habub …   Universal-Lexikon

  • haboob — [hə bo͞ob′] n. a violent sandstorm, as in the Sudan or SW U.S …   English World dictionary

  • Haboob — Un Haboob en approche, à Taji, Irak en 2006 Un haboob (arabe الهبوب ) est un type de violente tempête de sable observé dans le désert du Sahara, plus particulièrement au Soudan, dans la péninsule Arabique, au Koweït et dans les régions les plus… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • haboob — /heuh boohb /, n. a thick dust storm or sandstorm that blows in the deserts of North Africa and Arabia or on the plains of India. [1895 1900; < Ar habub a strong wind] * * * ▪ wind storm       strong wind that occurs along the southern edges of… …   Universalium

  • Haboob — Habub in al Asad, Irak Der Habub (arabisch ‏هبوب‎ Habūb, deutsch starker Wind, Alternativschreibweise Haboob) ist ein Sandsturm, der Geschwindigkeiten bis zu 80 Kilometern in der Stunde erreichen und den Sand auf Höhen von bis zu 900 Meter… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Haboob — Ha|boob [hə bu:b] u. Habub [ha...] der; [s] teilweise über engl. haboob aus gleichbed. arab. habūb> heftiger Sandsturm in Nordafrika u. Indien …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • haboob — noun Etymology: Arabic habūb violent storm Date: 1897 a violent dust storm or sandstorm especially of Sudan …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • haboob — noun A violent sandstorm or dust storm in the deserts of Arabia, North Africa, India, or North America …   Wiktionary

  • Haboob — Ha|boob 〈[həbu:b] m.; Gen.: od. s; Pl.: unz.〉 in Nordafrika u. Indien vorkommende, spezielle Form eines Sandsturms [Etym.: arab.] …   Lexikalische Deutsches Wörterbuch

  • haboob — Severe dust storms occurring in Sudan and associated with cumulonimbus clouds in the summer season …   Aviation dictionary

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