Dust Storm in Utah

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Dust and clouds mingled over Utah in late February 2012. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of a dust storm on February 23.

The dust arises from the Great Salt Lake Desert, with sediments that can provide ample material for dust storms. Cloudbanks surround the dust, especially in the south and east. The clouds might result from the same weather pattern that brought dust-stirring high winds.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument:
Terra - MODIS - NASA