World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that record-breaking sand and dust storms that swept across parts of the world in 2025 are exposing a growing global environmental and public health challenge, after severe events disrupted transport networks, worsened air quality and damaged economic activities.
A new report from the UN weather agency revealed that several regions, including China and the United States-Mexico border area, experienced some of the most intense dust events recorded in recent years. While the global average concentration of airborne dust remained broadly similar to 2024, the scale, duration and severity of major regional storms highlighted the increasing vulnerability of communities living in affected areas.
The findings, published in the WMO Airborne Dust Bulletin, show that sand and dust storms continue to pose widespread risks to human health, agriculture, transport systems, energy infrastructure and ecosystems, with scientists warning that changing climate conditions and environmental degradation are intensifying the threat.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, approximately 2,000 million tonnes of dust are released into the sky each year, moving across continents and oceans for hundreds or even thousands of kilometres.
Although dust movement is a normal component of the Earth’s climate system, scientists claim that human activities such as inadequate land and water management, environmental degradation, and protracted droughts are making the issue worse.
Major deserts like the Arabian Desert in the Middle East, the Gobi Desert in Asia, and the Sahara Desert in Africa are among the dry and semi-arid places that produce the most dust. However, the effects are felt in over 150 countries globally, far beyond these source regions.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo noted that, “sand and dust storms affect air quality and human health.”
“They reduce agricultural productivity, disrupt transport and aviation, strain water and energy systems, and damage ecosystems. No country is immune to their impacts.”
Celeste Saulo
Speaking ahead of the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms on 12 July, Saulo stressed that stronger international collaboration was essential because dust storms and droughts cross national boundaries.
“Because sand and dust storms and droughts do not respect borders, international cooperation is essential. Strengthening shared observations, data exchange, and regional forecasting capacity allows all countries especially the most vulnerable to benefit from advances in science and early warning.”
Celeste Saulo
The World Meteorological Organization stated its Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System effort is still bringing together governments, research institutions, and scientific centers to increase observations, forecasting skills, and early warning systems. While regional partnerships have helped, the organization warns that more investment and coordination are needed.
According to the report, the Bodélé Depression in Chad remains the world’s most active dust source location, with the highest global annual average dust concentrations. The Sahara region is regarded as a major producer of atmospheric dust emissions, which have an impact on weather patterns, ecosystems, and human health throughout Africa and elsewhere.
North Africa and the Middle East also witnessed a series of large dust invasions in 2025, lowering visibility and damaging air quality in some communities.
However, some of the most severe impacts occurred outside of traditional desert areas.
In April 2025, dust from Mongolia entered China, resulting in the country’s greatest sand and dust storm in a decade in terms of severity, geographic distribution, and endurance. Northern China had extraordinarily high concentrations of inhalable particles known as PM10, with hourly levels topping 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre. In certain areas, concentrations reached 3,000 to 4,000 micrograms per cubic metre, greatly exceeding the World Health Organization’s recommended limits.
AI-Powered Satellites Offer New Hope Against Dust Threats
Moreover, the World Meteorological Organization indicated that United States-Mexico border region also experienced an exceptional year of dust activity, particularly around the desert areas of Texas and northern Mexico.
The city of El Paso recorded 50 days of dust conditions in 2025, more than double its annual average and the highest number of dust events since the devastating Dust Bowl era of the 1930s.
One of the worst storms to hit the area occurred on March 18; sand and dust conditions persisted for more than six hours. Hourly measurements increased to 8,142 micrograms per cubic metre, the highest level in Texas since hourly monitoring started almost thirty years ago. The daily average PM10 concentration reached 2,064 micrograms per cubic metre.
As visibility worsened, the storm caused several deadly traffic accidents, forced the temporary closure of schools, highways, and airports, and cancelled public events.
WMO cautioned that dust storms pose long-term threats to agriculture, health, and vital services in addition to causing immediate disruption. While frequent storms can lower agricultural output by harming crops and degrading soil quality, fine dust particles can exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
To address these challenges, scientists are increasingly turning to advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and satellite-based monitoring.
The WMO report notes that traditional dust forecasting methods remain difficult because dust movement depends on complex interactions between atmospheric conditions, soil characteristics and weather patterns. Conventional physics-based models can also require significant computing power, making frequent predictions expensive and time-consuming.
Recent developments in AI are creating new opportunities. AI algorithms can find trends and enhance dust movement forecasts by examining decades’ worth of satellite observations and atmospheric data.
After being trained, AI models can function with lower processing requirements than conventional forecasting systems, enabling quicker and more accurate forecasts.
In addition, a number of methods are being developed by researchers, such as big AI systems trained on extensive meteorological records and AI-generated weather forecasts connected with dust models.
However, according to scientists, there is currently no single strategy that works in every circumstance.
While some AI models do better when forecasting large-scale phenomena that build over many days and travel across continents, others are better suited for short-lived local dust storms.
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