Dust Storm in Texas

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A dust storm blew through northern Texas in late January 2012. High winds and poor visibility made driving treacherous around Lubbock, and forced the cancellation of flights at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, news sources said.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on January 22, 2012. Dust plumes apparently arise from agricultural fields around Lubbock, and blow in a wide arc toward the northeast. Isolated red outlines indicate high surface temperatures associated with wildfires. The same high winds that stirred dust and canceled flights contributed to fire danger in the region, according to news reports.

References:
Janda, G. (2012, January 22). Dust storm cancels flights. NBCDFW. Accessed January 23, 2012.
Snyder, R. (2012, January 22). Treacherous conditions across Lubbock Sunday afternoon. KFYO. Accessed January 23, 2012.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument:
Aqua - MODIS - NASA