A dust storm struck central Mexico on March 18, 2008, and winds transported the dust into southern Texas. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture the same day.
This image shows both the plumes of dust from the storm, and fires in the northeast that produce their own plumes of smoke. While the dust ranges in color from orange to tan, the smoke appears fairly uniform gray-beige. Red outlines mark the hotspots caused by the cluster fires. The same winds stirring the dust may also play a role in spreading the fires.
According to news reports, residents of San Antonio, Texas, found abundant mud on their cars on the afternoon of March 18. Dust from Mexico mixed in the atmosphere with rain showers, raining mud over the city and creating what some described as “a car wash owner’s dream,” according to San Antonio’s KSAT.com.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response team. Caption by Michon Scott.
