DUSHANBE, August 25, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- A dust storm affected southern regions of Tajikistan and Dushanbe today.

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the head of the Hydrometeorology Agency Mahmad Safarov told Asia-Plus that the dust storm had been caused by a powerful western cyclone centered in Yekaterinburg, Russia.  “The cyclone has hit not only the south of Russia but also Central Asia’s states,” Safarov said.

“In summer, such cyclones cause dust storms and scattered showers and according to our prognosis, the dust storm and scattered showers will be observed across the country only today,” he added.

In the meantime, Ms. Jamila Baydulloyeva, the chairperson of the Hydromet Center within the Hydrometeorology Agency, said that the dust haze would abate on August 26-27 and temperature will begin rising on August 28 and the hot weather would probably last for several days.  “In early September, moist and cool air will come to the country and temperature in plains will drop and winds and precipitation will affect mountain areas,” Baydulloyeva said.

A dust storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions and arises when a gust front passes or when the wind force exceeds the threshold value where loose sand and dust are removed from the dry surface.  Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil erosion from one place and deposition in another.  The Sahara and drylands around the Arabian Peninsula are the main source of airborne dust, with some contributions from Iran, Pakistan and India into the Arabian Sea, and China’s storms deposit dust in the Pacific.

In Tajikistan, especially in the southern Khatlon province, the dust is usually lifted in late summer and autumn from deserts in Afghanistan.