Why do we get sand from the Sahara desert?

Why do we get sand from the Sahara desert?

Whenever cold and moist air from the Atlantic meets the hot and very dry air of the inland deserts of Morocco and Algeria, a complex low pressure system forms and then intensifies at the foot of the Atlas Mountains in Algeria.

If this low pressure system intensifies quickly with a sea level pressure that falls below 1000hPa at its centre, very strong winds are generated that sweep the entire Algerian desert, causing extensive sand storms, better known by the term “Haboob“.

The dust and sand are raised to 3000-4000 metres and are then carried northwards along the front side (the eastern side) of this north African low pressure system. This will tend to push the dust and sand clouds towards the Maltese Islands and Sicily.

This phenomenon is more common that you think and generally occurs with great frequency in spring and early summer, although it can also occur in autumn or in the middle of winter. However, in the last decade it seems to have become much more frequent.