A massive dust storm hit Iran's capital city of Tehran on Monday, turning the skies black as night.
The dust storm, commonly called a "haboob" across the Middle East, left at least four dead and dozens injured.
The skies over Tehran suddenly turned black as a wall of sand hit the city from the west, my wife called me to come home "now"— Thomas Erdbrink (@ThomasErdbrink) June 2, 2014
According to The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang, weather conditions changed rapidly as the storm hit Tehran.
It was 91 degrees and sunny at 5 p.m. local time, and 66 degrees with 35 mph one hour later.
Videos and photos shared on social media show a massive cloud of brown dirt swallowing the city, which has an estimated population of nearly 8 million people.
Negar Mortazavi, a journalist in Iran, tweeted a photo that showed the massive storm covering the sky.
Dust covered Tehran sky today. #Iran pic.twitter.com/bDGOPTYrd5— Negar Mortazavi نگار (@NegarMortazavi) June 2, 2014
Heavy dust storm in Tehran #Iran pic.twitter.com/MkX4GCtnWt— Negar Mortazavi نگار (@NegarMortazavi) June 2, 2014
Video shared on YouTube shows the city’s clear skies on one end, then the massive “haboob” on the other.
Instagram users shared photos of the storm using the hashtag #طوفان, which means “storm” in persian, that show fallen trees, a darkened sky and a massive brown cloud perched over the city.
وا اسلاما. این دختره روسریش در اومده. #طوفان توجیه خوبی نیست. pic.twitter.com/ojzTiwu0i7— Jackson Bro (@jackson_broer) June 2, 2014
خدا هم اعصاب نداره ها. #طوفان #تهران pic.twitter.com/uYaJ0bZH6I— ehsan hozhabri (@ehsan_hozhabri) June 2, 2014
The storm left a reported 50,000 residents without power.