HABOOB

hot and moist, strong wind that occurs along the southern edges of the Sahara in The Sudan and is associated with large sandstorms and duststorms and may be accompanied by thunderstorms and small tornadoes. It usually lasts about three hours, is most common during the summer, and may blow from any direction. A haboob may transport huge quantities of sand or dust, which move as a dense wall that can reach a height of 900 metres (about 3,000 feet). Haboobs result from the northward summer shift of the intertropical front into North Africa, bringing moisture from the Gulf of Guinea. The name haboob also is sometimes used for a cold, moist wind of the northern Sahara that accompanies Mediterranean low-pressure centres and carries large amounts of dust.