dust storm

or dust·storm

[ duhst stawrm ]

noun

, Meteorology.

1. an occurrence of strong winds permeating the air with fine particles of dust over an extensive area of normally arable land during a period of drought:

   It was a time of danger and despair on the prairie, with one dust storm after another.

dust storm

noun

1. a windstorm that whips up clouds of dust

Word History and Origins

Origin of dust storm¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

A rare dust storm caused a multi-vehicle pileup and shut off power to Central Valley residents Monday.

From Los Angeles Times

An increase in dust storms has left millions more people exposed to dangerous air pollution.

From BBC

She recalls using earth observation data provided by Eumetsat, a European satellite agency, to monitor a major dust storm in March.

From BBC

But just when we thought we’d skirted yet another meteorological event, a white-out dust storm darkened the once-blue sky on Sunday, Sept. 1 — Burning Man’s last day.

From Los Angeles Times

To compensate for this sudden change, the winds loop back toward the mountains and mix with the remaining stable air mass, creating oscillations that animate dust storms.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• sandstorm