Wind gusts in excess of 50 miles per hour (80 kph) kicked up a number of thick dust plumes in parts of Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico on December 15, 2003. The U.S. National Weather Service issued warnings to people driving near Lubbock, Texas, due to the poor visibility and windy conditions there.
This true-color scene was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite. Note there are two distinct sources of dust plumes in the scene. The dust in southeastern New Mexico and northern Mexico is a pale tan color, almost white, whereas the dust in north central Texas is a relatively darker, light brown color.
Image courtesy Liam Gumley, Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison