Govind Tekale
Residents of Northern Argentina and Southern Paraguay were in an apocalyptic-looking scene when a mile-tall wall of smoke, ash, and dust descended on the landscape. Day turned to night around lunchtime as the smoke blotted out the sun, covering up what had been partly cloudy skies as strong winds surged through the region.
The smoke, originating from wildfires across bordering Argentina, was enough to cause street lights to turn on and pose a respiratory danger. Residents’ eyes also probably stung from the ash and fine particulates. The same parent storm system brought baseball size hail from Argentina over the weekend amid an outbreak of severe thunderstorms.
Last week many videos were posted from various areas of North America & South Paraguay. The phenomenon, which resembled the angled blade of a snowplow, brought speculation that a dust storm was closing in on Southern Paraguay. Closer inspection, however, revealed that the “Haboob”- the technical name for a dust storm- was carrying more than just dust.
