Dust in the Wind

In Iraq, when the conditions are right, the pressure systems that move across the area, create strong winds, which kick up massive amounts of dust. It can vary from just a mild haze in the distance to a thick shroud that drops visibility down to mere feet. That is what we are experiencing right now. The vis today was declining rapidly and is expected to stay that way. Aside from the obvious effects on aviation, it also has the effect of caking everything in dust. When you leave a building, you immediately feel as if you are breathing in dirt. It gets into car's air conditioning system, so when you first turn on the engine, a cloud of dusts bursts into the cab from the air vents.

From what I hear, pretty soon we will then go to the polar opposite: mud. Since the ground cannot absorb the rain that will soon be falling, the water will pile up into rivers all over base. Then when the ground is finally able to take in some of the water, it will stay as mud for days, if not weeks. Thankfully, that has not happened. But I have seen pictures of previous seasons, and it does not look fun. I'll let you know when that happens, though.