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Sand and Dust Weather Information A sandstorm or duststorm is a meteorological phenomenon usually caused by strong and turbulent winds blowing over loose soil or sand and sweeping up large quantities of sand or dust particles from the ground, clouding the air and reducing the visibility drastically. In general, sandstorm/duststorm can be defined as an ensemble of particles of sand and dust energetically lifted to great heights by a strong and turbulent wind bringing visibility down to less than 1,000 metres. If the visibility is observed to be 1,000 metres or greater it would be defined as sand or dust. There are several tools for monitoring sand and dust weather, including (a) the latest reports on sand and dust weather, (b) satellite pictures enhanced to show delineated areas of sand and dust and (c) forecast trajectories of air.   Sand and Dust Observation Satellite Image Forecast Air Trajectory - Sandstorm/Duststorm      - Sand/Dust               The Hong Kong Observatory regularly receives weather reports from weather centres in the neighbouring areas, including mainland China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan, China. The above map provides a simplified depiction of the sand and dust related weather over East Asia based on the weather reports. Latest observations at 8 a.m. or 8 p.m. will be shown. At each point of observation, if sand or dust weather is reported, a symbol ( for sand/dust and for sandstorm/duststorm) will be plotted at the observation point. Points to note          WMO Webpage on Sand and Dust Q & A for sand and dust weather Useful Links  2003 | Important notices | Privacy policy Last revision date: <27 Mar 2012>