Who would have thought flooding would cause dust? That’s the latest unexpected consequence of this year’s record flooding along the Missouri River.

Hydrologist Dave Pearson of the National Weather Service says many formerly-flooded fields are a source of sediment and in some cases several feet of sand that the wind can pick up and throw around.

Pearson says fields usually are uneven because of crop residue. But flooding smoothed out the surface, making dust pickup even easier.