Unsettled weather has returned to northern Iraq and Syria, bringing sandstorms and thunder. An orange haze lingered over rural areas near Qamishli in north-eastern Syria on Thursday, and dusty conditions spread as far as Baghdad. Heavy thunderstorms also swept through the region, illuminating Mosul's night sky with lightning bolts. Last month, hundreds of people in central and southern Iraq were hospitalised with respiratory problems caused by the country's <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/04/15/sandstorm-leaves-iraqis-choking-and-cities-shrouded-in-orange-haze/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/04/15/sandstorm-leaves-iraqis-choking-and-cities-shrouded-in-orange-haze/">biggest sandstorm of the year</a>. It forced some regional airports to close. Iraq, which is regularly hit by sandstorms, is one of the five countries most affected by some effects of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="">climate change</a>, research by the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/un/" target="_blank" rel="">UN</a> has found. In 2022, one person died and more than 5,000 were treated in hospitals across the country for respiratory ailments due to a heavy sandstorm. Iraq's Environment Ministry has warned the country can expect a rising number of “dust days” in the coming decades.
