WMO highlights hotspots, health hazards and economic cost of sand and dust storms
Sand and dust storms are exacting an increasing toll on our health and economies, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which underlines the need for continued improvements in monitoring, forecasting and early warnings.
- Sand and dust storms affect about 330 million in 150 countries
- Airborne Dust Bulletin shows increasing economic disruption and health impacts
- Poor land and water management and drought play major role
- WMO strengthens monitoring, forecasting and early warnings
The annual WMO Airborne Dust Bulletin highlights hotspots and impacts of a hazard which affects about 330 million people in more than 150 countries worldwide. It is one of a suite of WMO scientific products to inform policy-making and to improve public safety and well-being.
Although the global average of annual mean dust surface concentrations in 2024 was slightly lower than in 2023, there were big regional variations. In the most affected areas, the surface dust concentration in 2024 was higher than the long-term 1981-2010 average.
Every year, around 2,000 million tons of sand and dust enters the atmosphere - equivalent to 307 Great Pyramids of Giza. More than 80% of the global dust budget originates from the North African and Middle Eastern deserts and can be transported for hundreds and even thousands of kilometers, across continents and oceans.
Much of this is a natural process, but poor water and land management, drought and environmental degradation are increasingly to blame.
“Sand and dust storms do not just mean dirty windows and hazy skies. They harm the health and quality of life of millions of people and cost many millions of dollars through disruption to air and ground transport, on agriculture and on solar energy production,” says WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
“This Bulletin shows how health risks and economic costs are rising – and how investments in dust early warnings and mitigation and control would reap large returns,” she said. “This is why sand and dust storms are one of the priorities of the Early Warnings for All initiative.”
The WMO Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System coordinates international sand and dust research and has operational regional centres.
The report was released to coincide with the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms on 12 July.
Geographical distribution
The estimated peak annual mean surface dust concentration was located in the central African nation of Chad, at about ~800–1100 µg m–3 (micrograms or one-millionth of a gram per cubic meter air). This is because it is home to the Bodélé Depression, which is one of the key emission sources.
In the southern hemisphere, it was highest in parts of central Australia and the west coast of South Africa.
In 2024, sand and dust concentrations were lower than the long-term average in many of the main source areas, and higher than average in many areas to where the dust is blown.
The regions that are most vulnerable to long-range transport of dust are: the northern tropical Atlantic Ocean between West Africa and the Caribbean; South America; the Mediterranean Sea; the Arabian Sea; the Bay of Bengal; central-eastern China.
In 2024, the transatlantic transport of African dust invaded the parts of Caribbean Sea region.
Health impacts
A new sand and dust storm indicator developed by WMO and the World Health Organization shows that 3.8 billion people (nearly half the world’s population) were exposed to dust levels exceeding WHO’s safety threshold between 2018–2022. This represents a 31% increase from 2.9 billion people (44.5%) during 2003–2007.
Exposure varied widely, from only a few days in relatively unaffected areas to more than 87% of days—equivalent to over 1,600 days in five years—in the most dust-prone regions. This indicator and the associated findings were published in the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: 2024 Global Report.
Economic costs
The economic impact is often under-estimated, according to a case study from the United States of America. In the USA alone, dust and wind erosion cost an estimated USD 154 billion in 2017- more than a fourfold increase over the 1995 calculation.
The estimate included costs to households, crops, wind and solar energy, mortality from fine dust exposure, health costs due to Valley fever, and transport. The true cost of dust was certainly much higher, since reliable national-scale evaluations of many of dust’s other economic impacts (for example, on human morbidity, the hydrological cycle, aviation and rangeland agriculture) were not available, according to the study which was published in Nature.
Major Sand and Dust storms in 2024
Canary Islands
A surge of strong Harmattan winds across a vast region of north-western Africa transport north from the western Sahara desert to Spain’s Canary Islands in December, impacting the area where most people live.
East Asia
There were 14 sand and dust storms, mostly in spring. At the end of March, fierce winds from a strong Mongolian cyclone swept large amounts of dust to densely populated regions in northern China. Beijing recorded a peak PM10 concentration of over 1 000 µg m–3, and visibility dropped to 1 km.
In June Beijing and northern China were hit by a rare summer sand and dust storm. Poor vegetation growth due to high spring temperatures and drought in Mongolia played a big role, drawing public attention to the increasing occurrence of summer dust storms driven by extreme weather in a changing climate.
West Asia
Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and the Arabian Peninsula were struck by an exceptional winter dust storm in December. It had far-reaching socio-economic consequence, including cancellation of flights, widespread closure of schools and the postponement of public events.
WMO activities
WMO’s Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System was set up in 2007. It seeks to strengthen operational forecasting and warning services for various regions of the world in a globally coordinated manner to reduce the impacts on the environment, health and economies.
At present, there are four active regions that coordinate their activities through their associated regional centres :
- Gulf Cooperation Council region with Regional Center in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)
- Northern Africa-Middle East-Europe region with Regional Center in Barcelona (Spain)
- Asia with Regional Center in Beijing (China)
- Americas with Regional Center in Bridgetown (Barbados)
A UN Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms seeks to increase global collaboration to tackle the hazards and disruption. WMO plays an active role in this, in providing scientific information and monitoring and forecasting products.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 12 July as the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms and declared the 2025-2034 Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms.
The President of the General Assembly will host a high-level meeting in New York to mark the day as part of a range of activities around the globe.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation in atmospheric science and meteorology.
WMO monitors weather, climate, and water resources and provides support to its Members in forecasting and disaster mitigation. The organization is committed to advancing scientific knowledge and improving public safety and well-being through its work.
For further information, please contact:
- Clare Nullis WMO media officer cnullis@wmo.int +41 79 709 13 97
- WMO Strategic Communication Office Media Contact media@wmo.int