Information on sand and dust storms on WMO website

The new website of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) includes a page describing dust and sand storms: https://public.wmo.int/en/our-mandate/focus-areas/environment/sand-and-dust-storm

Sand and dust storms are a common meteorological hazard in arid and semi-arid regions. They occur when strong winds lift large amounts of sand and dust from bare, dry soils into the atmosphere. The webpage points out the interaction of airborne dust with weather and climate and its impact on human health, environment and society. Finally, it describes the Sand and Dust Storm - Warning Advisory and Assessment System and its regional centers:

• Regional Center for Norther Africa, Middle East and Europe, in Barcelona, hosted by the State Meteorological Agency of Spain (AEMET) and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)
• Regional Center for Asia, in Beijing, hosted by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA)
• Regional Center for the Americas, in Barbados, hosted by the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH)

The Barcelona Dust Forecast Center is the first center specialized on dust forecast recognized by WMO. It operationally distributes dust forecasts for Northern Africa, Middle East and Europe.