‘Apocalyptic’ dust storm descends upon Belarus – Utah smothered in massive dust storm

April 2015 – BELARUS – A potent dust storm swept through Belarus this week — turning day into night in a scene straight out the Book of Revelation. Stunning video shows the exact moment when the “apocalyptic” batch of weather invades the city of Soligorsk and plunges one of its bustling roadways into darkness.

Vision shot from an apartment block in the city of Soligorsk shows a gradual darkening of the sky. Within minutes, the city was pitch black, with drivers gradually seen flicking on their headlights as darkness descended. Television network RT reported police had to escort pedestrians around the streets with flashlights. Subsequent heavy rain led to electricity being cut and some damage to buildings from falling trees.

Residents were said to be both scared and excited by the natural phenomenon, which hit Belarus on Monday, according to the Russian website RT. Local meteorologists in the Eastern European region dubbed the ominous occurrence a “haboob” — which means “intense red dust storm” in Arabic. –NY Post

Dust chokes Salt Lake City: Vicious winds ahead of a front swept into the West Tuesday, picking up desert dust and creating dangerous situations on highways and interstates in both Utah and California. In western Utah, outside Salt Lake City, the combination of tropical storm force winds and dust sent visibility plummeting to a quarter-mile at times, and drivers struggled to see. Accidents along Interstate 80 forced UDOT to close eastbound and westbound lanes from the Utah-Nevada state line to mile marker 99 near Tooele. All lanes have since reopened. Six semi trucks and 11 cars were involved in the crash, the Utah Highway Patrol told NBC. Eighteen people with various injuries were taken to local hospitals. One person died in a traffic fatality.

The Salt Lake City Tribune reported wind gusts were strong enough to send semi trucks onto their sides. There were also reports about wind damage to windows and buildings. The blowing dust also sent air quality to dangerously low levels. The state’s Department of Environmental Quality warned people with heart or respiratory problems to take proper precautions. About 200 miles south of the city, the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office said a wildfire quickly got out of control in the Quakie Haven area of Fishlake. Utah’s ABC 4 said the fire was estimated to be between 100 and 200 acres.  Police closed Highway 25 and started evacuating summer homes. Winds were gusting over 50 mph in that area, according to weather.com senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen. –Weather

Massive dust storm descends on Belarus turning day into night