Hot desert wind in Western Asia and other regions
Simoom |
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Sandstorm_approaching_the_sphinx_at_G%C3%AEza_at_sunset%2C_Egypt._C_Wellcome_V0049386.jpg/220px-Sandstorm_approaching_the_sphinx_at_G%C3%AEza_at_sunset%2C_Egypt._C_Wellcome_V0049386.jpg) |
Area of occurrence | Sahara, Israel, Jordan, Syria, and the deserts of Arabian Peninsula |
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Effect | Temperature may exceed 54 °C (129 °F) and the relative humidity may fall below 10% |
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Simoom (Arabic: سموم samūm; from the root س م م s-m-m, سم "to poison") is a strong, hot, dry, dust-laden wind. The word is generally used to describe a local wind that blows in the Sahara, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and the deserts of Arabian Peninsula. Its temperature may exceed 54 °C (129 °F) and the relative humidity may fall below 10%.