Parts of China and the southern United States faced their worst sand and dust storms in decades last year. The United Nations shared this news on Friday, warning that the severe weather harmed human health and damaged local economies.
The World Meteorological Organisation, which is the weather group for the UN, explained that these giant storms also blocked transport networks like flights and trains.
Every year, about 2,000 million tonnes of dust flies up into the sky. Strong winds can carry these thick clouds for thousands of kilometres across different countries and deep oceans.
Most of this dust comes from famous dry places like the Sahara Desert in Africa, the Gobi Desert in Asia, and the Arabian Desert in the Middle East.
While dust storms are a natural event, human actions are making them much worse. The UN group said that poor land use, water shortages, and dry weather are increasingly to blame for the problems.
The highest average dust levels in the world were found in the Bodele Depression in Chad, which is one of the most active dust areas on Earth.
The border area between Mexico and the United States saw very frequent and long-lasting storms throughout 2025. The issue was especially bad in the state of Texas.
The city of El Paso in Texas counted 50 days of dusty weather last year, which is more than double its usual amount. Experts said the city has not seen this many dust storms since 1935.
Air pollution in Texas reached highly dangerous levels during the worst of the weather. On March 18, the average level of tiny dust particles, called PM10, hit 2,064 microgrammes per cubic metre of air.
During the worst hour of that day, the pollution spiked to 8,142 microgrammes. This was the highest number ever measured in Texas since hourly tracking began 27 years ago.
These numbers are incredibly dangerous. The World Health Organisation says that a safe level of PM10 dust over a 24 hour period is just 45 microgrammes.
At the same time, China suffered its most intense and longest-lasting dust storm in 10 years. In April 2025, a giant cloud blew into the country from Mongolia, turning the skies dark and choking cities across northern China.
Pollution levels in China soared during the spring storm. In several northern towns, hourly dust levels went over 1,000 microgrammes. In the worst-hit places, the number reached between 3,000 and 4,000 microgrammes, making it hard for residents to breathe safely outside.
Weather chief Celeste Saulo explained that these giant storms easily cross over national borders. Because the dust travels so far, the official urged different countries to share their weather data early to keep people safe.
The weather group added that artificial intelligence computers could help experts predict these storms better in the future, though scientists still need to do more research first.
