2020 is probably taking the rhetorical question ¡®Could 2020 BE any worse¡¯ as a challenge apparently.?
Amid a pandemic an African country was greeted with an ¡®apocalyptic wall¡¯ of dust storm. One is reminded of a lot of scenes from the movie The Mummy after looking at some of these videos.?
Photos and videos of this storm in the capital of Niger are going viral on social media. One video shows a huge storm, appearing to be a still wall engulfing buildings in Niamey. Other posts show sky painted in blood red colour as many online described the view as ¡®apocalyptic¡¯.
But maybe this dust storm is not completely out of the ordinary. West Africa is known to witness dust-laden winds and sandstorms during the dry season, which typically lasts from January till April. The season is known as the ¡®Harmattan¡¯. The sandstorms usually occur when thunderstorms lift a large amount of dust in air, which can then travel hundreds of kilometers.?
?Another video which is going viral on Twitter shows a huge 'wall' of sand taking over the city. It is captioned ¡®Sandstorm in Niamey ¡¡¯
Aghast Twitter users have described the sight as ¡®utterly terrifying¡¯ and considered it to be 'apocalyptic'. One user called it the 'wrath of God'. However as we have established, even though terrifying, these dust storms are not new to the country.