gypsum dust from White Sands. This was part of the forecast:
Areas of blowing dust in east-central NM this afternoon and early evening will continue to reduce visibility through approximately sunset as gypsum from White Sands continues to stream northeastward well into TX & OK.
—forecast.weather.gov
Beate’s answer was correct. At first we thought it was a wildfire, but I checked and there wasn’t a fire big enough to explain it. Then Andy saw the explanation at weather.gov.
April 6, 2023
oh well, I still it was snow stuck in the enclosed trail…
Our snow is in the mountains now. Down south the problem is dust. We’re a crazy state. 🙂
Amazing
Yes. It was too interesting not to share.
I had to go out and dive down Alice Hole, to find out what gypsum is and what White Sands is. wow, beautiful photos of White Sands, so this was like a sand storm in AZ but gypsum from the national park. did not know about the park, and now I do
Andy and I went there once. It’s fascinating and beautiful.
I used to love visiting White Sands as a little girl!
….. Not so much decades later when it was a kajillion degrees and I was woefully out of shape, finding it hard to walk.
🙂
Is this something that happens occasional nationally or something new? I’m thinking of the Dust Bowl era when the top soil blew away because of improper farming techniques.
Dust storms aren’t that unusual at lower altitudes…visibility can get so bad that driving is dangerous. This is the first time I’ve seen one in a satellite picture.
I have never heard of Gypsum Dust! Wonder if it gets in people’s lungs…
It can cause problems if you’re not wearing a mask.
How interesting. I never would have guessed.
We didn’t think of that either.