砂嵐

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 砂嵐(すなあらし) can mean a storm of swirling sand or speckled visual noise on a screen.
• Basic usage: It appears in descriptions of desert weather or an old television showing static instead of a picture.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Meaning on a television screen
  • 画面が砂嵐になる means that the screen becomes filled with grain-like visual noise.
  • In this context, screen static is a more suitable English expression than sandstorm.
• Difference from 砂埃
  • 砂埃 can refer to rising sandy dust, while 砂嵐 in a weather context focuses on a storm with sand swirling in strong wind.