The simoom (from Arabic samūm, "poisonous wind") is a local wind of North African and Middle Eastern deserts. It is characterised by extreme temperatures (up to 54 °C), very low relative humidity (below 10%), and the ability to raise dense sandstorms.
Dangers
Historically credited with killing entire caravans through dehydration and heatstroke, it blows in brief gusts (minutes to a few hours) associated with local thermal lows. Its better-known European relative is the sirocco, which loses much of its extreme character crossing the Mediterranean.