Now I've always thought that the sandstorm in the movie Hildalgo was blown out of proportion (I'd say the speed of the storm was perhaps)- that is to say I believed a storm that size was just not possible. And after seeing the images above my first impression was- hey this thing is photoshoped.... Till I saw the movie...Good lord!
I found a little info on the storm here:
http://www.weru.ksu.edu/new_weru/multimedia/2005storms/2005storms.html
Al Asad, Iraq
These photographs were taken by:Gunnery Sgt. Shannon Arledge and unknown others
26 April, 2005
"A dust storm similar to special effects on the big screen bellowed across the western desert of Iraq on April 26. The storm was spawned near the border of Syria and Jordan. Weather forecasters here described the dust storm as a downburst. The ensuing storm increased energy as the winds pushed over the desert, which created a wall of dirt. Weather officials said that a downburst this strong is extremely rare for this region of Iraq. As the storm moved closer the sky changed to a shade of orange until total darkness blanketed the ground. The storm passed over in about 45 minutes, leaving a heavy sheet of dust in its wake. Forecaster say the wall of dust may have reached 4,000 to 5,000 feet, based on the height of the clouds above it." - Unknown
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