Dust Storm

So I drifted into a nice nap today around 1 pm, with clear skies outside and high winds. I awoke about 3 pm to the smell of dust, as if someone were changing a vacuum cleaner bag nearby. I also noticed a hazy light behind the blinds. At first I didn't connect the two. I stretched, went upstairs to get a book and, still smelling dust, peered out my bedroom window. Dust was everywhere, a thick yellow-orange fog covering the ground, blowing in from the barren Texas panhandle. I'd never seen anything like it before.

It was eerie being in that light. I couldn't help but think of nuclear winter and the fragility of our climate. I think I'll be making a donation to the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Fortunately the dust has pretty much blown away by now. Here's what it looked like in McKinney, about 20 minutes from where I live, courtesy of WeatherBug's Instacam:

A crazy dust storm that blew through one Saturday afternoon.