NewsPronto

 
The Times


.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

What causes the powerful winds that fuel dust storms, wildfires and blizzards? A weather scientist explains

  • Written by Chris Nowotarski, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science, Texas A&M University
imageWhen huge dust storms like this one in the Phoenix suburbs in 2022 hit, it's easy to see the power of the wind.Christopher Harris/iStock Images via Getty Plus

Windstorms can seem like they come out of nowhere, hitting with a sudden blast. They might be hundreds of miles long, stretching over several states, or just in your neighborhood.

But they all...

Read more: What causes the powerful winds that fuel dust storms, wildfires and blizzards? A weather scientist...

More Articles ...

  1. Trump administration seeks to starve libraries and museums of funding by shuttering this little-known agency
  2. Tyrannical leader? Why comparisons between Trump and King George III miss the mark on 18th-century British monarchy
  3. 5 years on, true counts of COVID-19 deaths remain elusive − and research is hobbled by lack of data
  4. Atlantic sturgeon were fished almost to extinction − ancient DNA reveals how Chesapeake Bay population changed over centuries
  5. Insomnia can lead to heart issues − a psychologist recommends changes that can improve sleep
  6. How power imbalance, misread signs and strategic blunders clouded Hamas’ judgment over Gaza ceasefire
  7. Arrested and stripped of degree: Twin moves to bar Istanbul mayor from ballot suggests Turkey’s Erdogan is really worried this time
  8. Trump’s defiance of a federal court order fuels a constitutional crisis − a legal scholar unpacks the complicated case
  9. US isn’t first country to dismantle its foreign aid office − here’s what happened after the UK killed its version of USAID
  10. Revoking EPA’s endangerment finding – the keystone of US climate policies – won’t be simple and could have unintended consequences
  11. The Gaza ceasefire is dead − Israeli domestic politics killed it
  12. Measles cases are on the rise − here’s how to make sure you’re protected
  13. Humans aren’t the only animals with complex culture − but researchers point to one feature that makes ours unique
  14. Fires, wars and bureaucracy: The tumultuous journey to establish the US National Archives
  15. Can animals make art?
  16. Shaken baby syndrome can cause permanent brain damage, long-term disabilities or death – a pediatrician examines the preventable tragedy
  17. Donald Trump’s nonstop news-making can be exhausting, making it harder for people to scrutinize his presidential actions
  18. The story of the Great Migration often overlooks Black businesses that built Detroit
  19. As mountain glaciers melt, risk of catastrophic flash floods rises for millions − World Day for Glaciers carries a reminder
  20. Social media design is key to protecting kids online
  21. As mountain glaciers melt, risk of catastrophic flash floods rises for millions
  22. High school sports are losing athletes to private clubs, but schools can keep them by focusing on character development
  23. Why history instruction is critical for combating online misinformation
  24. An artist traces her choices under Putin’s Russia – from resistance to retreat to exile – one mural at a time
  25. A brief history of Medicaid and America’s long struggle to establish a health care safety net
  26. People say they prefer stories written by humans over AI-generated works, yet new study suggests that’s not quite true
  27. Plastic pyrolysis − chemists explain a technique attempting to tackle plastic waste by bringing the heat
  28. Social movements constrained Trump in his first term – more than people realize
  29. Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers – yet it’s been deteriorating in many places, with serious consequences
  30. Spanish speakers in Philadelphia break traditional rules of formal and informal speech in signs around town
  31. Beatings, overcrowding and food deprivation: US deportees face distressing human rights conditions in El Salvador’s mega-prison
  32. Trump is using the Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants – but the 18th-century law has been invoked only during times of war
  33. Cells lining your skin and organs can generate electricity when injured − potentially opening new doors to treating wounds
  34. Researchers created sound that can bend itself through space, reaching only your ear in a crowd
  35. Washington Post’s turnaround on its opinion pages is returning journalism to its partisan roots − but without the principles
  36. What is the rules-based order? How this global system has shifted from ‘liberal’ origins − and where it could be heading next
  37. Colorado and other states have expanded access to abortion, but not for adolescents
  38. Fewer deaths, new substances and evolving treatments in Philly’s opioid epidemic − 4 essential reads
  39. Remembering China’s Empress Dowager Ling, a Buddhist who paved the way for future female rulers
  40. From pulpits to protest, the surprising history of the phrase ‘pride and prejudice’
  41. The US military has cared about climate change since the dawn of the Cold War – for good reason
  42. Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy
  43. What was the first thing scientists discovered? A historian makes the case for Babylonian astronomy
  44. Trump’s first term polarized teens’ views on racism and inequality
  45. Why was it hard for the GOP – which controls Congress – to pass its spending bill?
  46. Saudi Arabia’s role as Ukraine war mediator advances Gulf nation’s diplomatic rehabilitation − and boosts its chances of a seat at the table should Iran-US talks resume
  47. See you in the funny papers: How superhero comics tell the story of Jewish America
  48. Radioisotope generators − inside the ‘nuclear batteries’ that power faraway spacecraft
  49. The psychology behind anti-trans legislation: How cognitive biases shape thoughts and policy
  50. Big cuts at the Education Department’s civil rights office will affect vulnerable students for years to come