Massive dust storm formed over Arabian Sea, causing temperatures to plunge in Mumbai

by Charlie Smith on January 31st, 2022 at 9:03 AM

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Today, NASA's image of the day is a massive dust storm that hovered over the Arabian Sea earlier this month.

According to the U.S. agency, plumes streamed from Oman, Pakistan, and Iran, coming together to create a "thick wall of dust over the Arabian Sea" on January 22.

"By January 23, dust blanketed western India, shrouding the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan," NASA states on its website.

Morgan State University scientist Hiren Jethva, who's associated with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, points out in the post that winter winds normally blow away from India toward the Arabian Sea.

“However, the reversal of wind direction has likely occurred, bringing dust from the ocean to the Indian subcontinent,” Jethva says.

That caused the air-quality index to rise to an unprecedented level in Mumbai.

In addition, temperatures plunged in the Indian coastal city, falling to 23.8°C on January 23—far lower than the average daytime temperature of 31°C in January.