Several locations in Cordoba, Argentina were swept by a vicious dust storm that heavily damaged homes, uprooted trees and turned the day into night.
The storm, that came out-of-nowhere, occurred just before 7pm local time on Sunday, January 5, 2020.
First, locals noticed a doom cloud engulfing the sky. Then temperatures fell dramatically. Finally, the sky became dark and the raging winds, sand and hailstones damaged everything on their path.
Río Cuarto. Tormenta de tierra. pic.twitter.com/3Mz7j5Cg3M
— Iñaki Frias (@InakiFrias30) January 6, 2020
According to official sources, the violent dust storm enveloped the city of Rio Cuarto within minutes.
Looking at the wall of sand engulfing the city is just terrifying:
@SMN_Argentina @todonoticias @tddigital @FenomenosTn @DiarioPuntal
— Leo !!!!… (@leoandresmiazzo) January 6, 2020
Tormenta de tierra viento y lluvia hoy en Río Cuarto ¡!!!..
Así llegaba ¡!!.. pic.twitter.com/FBzKoboqs8
The violent storm was accompanied by hail and strong rains with up to 40mm of rain in some areas.
Just before the storm, inhabitants of Cordoba received a weather warning stating: “isolated storms of varying intensity with powerful gusts, heavy rainfall for brief periods of time, intense electrical activity and hail.”
#ALERTAS | Durante el domingo un frente frío se desplazará por el centro del país generando vientos fuertes, con ráfagas y también algunas tormentas. Seguí los alertas y avisos a corto plazo en https://t.co/HR4LGtOd3P pic.twitter.com/J0WCmqTqPn
— SMN Argentina (@SMN_Argentina) January 4, 2020
They had no time to prepare.
?️Impresionante video de cómo en pocos minutos se hace de noche en Río Cuarto por la tormenta pic.twitter.com/gi17ITYxDC
— MeteoMat-Berrotarán (@MeteoMat) January 5, 2020
Luckily nobody was injured or killed.
⛈? Una tormenta de viento y tierra anticipó la noche en Río Cuarto. Previamente se había reportado un fenómeno similar en Sampacho. El @SMN_Argentina mantiene un alerta para la zona. pic.twitter.com/1bQRPDts0R
— Diario Puntal (@DiarioPuntal) January 5, 2020
Within minutes, the temperatures dropped by more than 20°C from 30°C (86°F) to 10°C (50°F). The 125kmh winds even ripped roofs from houses:
Always be prepared for the impending doom! More headlines on Strange Sounds and Steve Quayle. [RT]