EARTH India / Pakistan -- 10 Jun 2005 -- Beginning with a severe windstorm that uprooted trees and knocked down billboards and power lines, June 9, 2005,

EARTH India / Pakistan -- 10 Jun 2005 -- Beginning with a severe windstorm that uprooted trees and knocked down billboards and power lines, June 9, 2005, brought a major dust storm to Pakistan and India. In this true-color satellite image acquired the next day, the storm stretches for over 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles) from central Pakistan into northern India. The dust obscures most of the Indus River valley, which is a dark green ribbon winding throughout the tan deserts, mountains, and plains that compose this portion of the world. Hot temperatures in this region have set the stage for dust storms. As hot air rises, it creates a vacuum, and the air that rushes in to fill the void carries dust with it. The result is a streamer of dust that will stretch for as far as the winds can carry it. These storms are especially common in the spring and summer months. Visible in the lower left corner is the Arabian Sea, red dots throughout the image mark locations where the MODIS instrument detected a fire signal -- Picture by Lightroom Photos / NASA / Topfoto