A thick sandstorm cloaked parts of the Middle East on Wednesday, sending people indoors and disrupting travel for millions of travelers -- and Michelle Obama.
The first lady was set to fly to Jordan when an official traveling with her said the flight was delayed "due to a weather call." The official, speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement, gave no further details.
Obama was on a two-nation visit to the Middle East to promote a girls' education initiative and was set to fly in from Qatar. Photos from Amman, the country's capital, showed dust blanketing the skies and restricting visibility.
The #difference between the #weather #today and #yesterday in #amman #jordan #middleeast #sandstorm #dust #cloudy #accuweather #nofilter #winter A photo posted by ahmad owaidat (@ahmad_owaidat) on Nov 4, 2015 at 4:16am PST
Aoife McDonnell, an official with UNHCR in Jordan, shared a video of the storm blanketing the Zaatari Camp, where thousands of refugees are hunkering down ahead of winter.
Dust storms back in @ZaatariCamp today with @Refugees facing tough winter ahead pic.twitter.com/HCTVrdUCH2— Aoife McDonnell (@AoifeUNHCR) November 4, 2015
In Israel, travel was disrupted for thousands of people when domestic flights to the resort town of Eilat were cancelled because of the weather, according to Ofer Lefler, a spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority. The Airports Authority web site showed incoming and outgoing flights to Eilat's airport cancelled until the evening.
Air pollution levels there were recorded up to 30 times higher than average, the Israeli Meteorological Service said, as health officials warned pregnant women, the elderly, and people with chronic heart and lung conditions to stay indoors, the Times of Israel reported.
#whataniceview #telaviv #israel #airportcloseddown #sandstorm #dust #hateit A photo posted by Manuel Rossmann (@manuelrossmann) on Nov 4, 2015 at 6:57am PST
The haze shrouded parts of Israel, and the Israeli flag could be seen poking through above the Knesset in Jerusalem. Images in Israeli media showed a few beachgoers seen through the fog on Israel's Mediterranean coast.
סופת חול#DustStorm#пыльнаябуря# A photo posted by tzipor336 (@tzipor336) on Nov 4, 2015 at 5:45am PST
Wednesday's storm is the second major sandstorm to hit the region in the past two months. In September, a massive storm swept through the region killing five, sickening hundreds and disrupting travel.
"It is unbelievable. This must be some test," Mansour, a Damascus resident, told the AP at the time. "It's hot. Temperatures are high and above that we have this dusty weather! It is something beyond reasonable. Enough please!"