A sandstorm is a powerful weather event where strong winds whip up massive amounts of sand and dust from dry ground, creating a moving wall of particles that can stretch for miles. The wind lifts the sand high into the air, turning the sky brown or orange and making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.

Sandstorms happen most often in deserts and other arid regions where there's lots of loose, dry sand and little vegetation to hold it down. When wind speeds reach about 25 miles per hour or more, they can pick up billions of tiny sand particles and carry them across vast distances. Some sandstorms tower thousands of feet high and look like enormous waves rolling across the landscape.

These storms can be dangerous. The blowing sand stings exposed skin, gets into eyes and mouths, and can damage engines and machinery. In places like the Sahara Desert or parts of the Middle East and the American Southwest, sandstorms are a regular part of life. Drivers sometimes get stranded when sandstorms reduce visibility to zero, and entire cities can be temporarily swallowed by advancing clouds of dust and sand.