Was the storm across the Gulf nations on April 2, the storm of the decade?  As the hashtag #sandpocalypse trended on Twitter, for many the major sand storm that covered a massive area from Egypt to Afghanistan, with the worst affected being Dubai, was reminiscent of Tom Cruise running from the sandstorm in the 2011 movie Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. If it evoked a Mars-like atmosphere on Thursday, it had blown away by Friday morning, and the Gulf nations were back to having great weather and greater visibility.



This isn't the first time the Gulf nations have been hit by a sandstorm, but it is the worst in 10 years. The sandstorm hit Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, while moving eastward towards the Indian Ocean on Thursday according to the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology.

It was caused by strong southeasterly winds, blowing from the centre Empty Quarter, the second largest sand desert in the world. The famous Dubai skyline was covered in a dusty orange. "High winds have whipped up desert sands, severely reducing visibility and causing residents to suffer breathing difficulties", BBC reported.

Many residents are used to sand storms hitting the region, but the intensity of the most recent one shocked many.  “Last time I have seen [a storm], it was not up to this,” a resident of Dubai told the BBC. “I felt very bad, and I hear that there were some accidents already on Dubai’s roads.”

Here is an image captured by NASA's Terra satellite that shows dust traveling across the Arabian Peninsula.


Image credit: NASA Terra/MODIS


And another satellite image with a spectrum of dust colours.

Visibility dipped to below 500 metres causing flights to be diverted, delayed or even cancelled. Dubai International Airport – world's busiest airport hub – was the hardest hit. Even Qatar's Hamad Airport reported multiple delays and cancellations. The Dubai transit authorities had to stop bus services to Abu Dhabi due to "zero visibility." Wind speeds had reportedly reached as high as 70 km/hour. Authorities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia had ordered schools to be shut citing extreme weather conditions. The rest of the Gulf countries also declared holidays with government offices along with schools being closed on Thursday. Surprisingly, Qatar University remained open. much to the frustration of the students.

Here are some images that show just how bad Doha, Dubai and other cities were effected


Image credit: Yasser al-Zayyat/AFP


 
Image credit: Marwan Naamani/AFP


 
Image credit: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters







 








Friday morning, the start of the Easter weekend turned out to be a great start for residents of the Gulf nations with perfect visibility and clear skies.