860 Words Short Essay on a Dust Storm

Storm is a very strong wind which may occur anywhere, at any time. However, when a storm is strong, and its wind is fully laden with dust and dust particles, it is called a dust storm.

A dust storm usually is a phenomenon that occurs very commonly in desert areas, and dry places. It may appear mostly in the summer months, even in places that are not deserts or are not even dry.

For example, Delhi is not known to be a dry area in its weather but, still, in the summer months, dust storms at least one or two of them occur every year. This is just a strong wind blowing at a high speed and carrying with it hugestocks of dust. In the desert areas where the dust storm is a regular feature, the storm is so strong, i.e. the wind moves with such great velocity that it is able to shift huge mountains of sand from one place to another.

These mountains of sand are a peculiar feature of the desert and, this mountain is almost physically lifted by the storm and carried to another location. These mountains of sand are called sand dunes and they get removed wholly from one place to another. The desert areas are not experienced by me but, once at Delhi, I had the experience of facing a dust storm and I say, I can never forget the experience.

I was on a visit to Delhi in my summer vacations, and the month was May. I was not aware of the fact that in Delhi also such dust storms occur and so I was caught by surprise. I did not know what a dust storm could be like and neither did I understand the warning given by nature about the coming of the storm.

The warning that comes before the real storm is that, before the storm, there are brown clouds of dust all over the sky and here is darkness all around. However, since I did not understand anything about it I went as per my scheduled programme.

I had to go to friend’s house and, when I got ready and came out of the house, I noticed that, the entire atmosphere was becoming dark, and that dark brown clouds were enveloping the entire atmosphere.

The brownish clouds were overhanging the sky and there was almost complete darkness in the area. Not knowing anything about this as a warning of a dust storm, I heeded not for anything and left for the bus stop, which was about a ten minutes walk from my house. I had hardly reached the bus stop when the storm was there in real earnest.

Within a twinkle of an eye, I saw the entire atmosphere becoming dark and gloomy, dust was being carried by the air, and the air was full of dust for us to inhale. I felt suffocated but, there was nothing that I could do about it. The wind was blowing with great velocity, and the particles of dust were finding their way inside my eyes, nostrils and ears.

I wondered why I had come out, and just as I was thinking to myself, a man standing next to me at the bus stop and who had seen me coming to the stop asked why I had come when I had seen the dust laden clouds in the sky.

I told him that I did not know that this would follow. It was then; he told me that all that I had seen before coming to the bus stop was a sure warning of a dust storm. It is only then that, I came to know that, the warning had been there and that, I had not heeded it but, how could I, I did not know about it.

While the storm was in full swing, the people at the bus stop could not be seen, the place where we stood was not recoggnisable, and the bus coming was not visible, if it were with its headlights. Such panic prevailed everywhere because the storm besides being uncomfortable could also be destructive to man and material. The scene of the storm lasted for about ten minutes which appeared to be as long as a few hours. After the ten minutes of this scene, the strong wind subsided and there was a loud downpour of rain. This put the dust to settle and the heat to subside. This was a relief though the downpour was also rather uncomfortable and we all, at the bus stop got drenched.

Aftet these few minutes at the bus stop, and after having my first experience with a dust storm and then getting position or mood to go to my friends house. I just went back home, changed into my night dress and rang up my friend informing him about my eperience and inability to meet him.

This was my first ever experience of a dust storm. My knowledge about it increased for, I had no idea of what it is like and least of all did I know that it is a common feature of the Delhi climate also.