Tasnim � The situation in Ahvaz, the capital city of Iran�s southwestern province of Khuzestan, has returned to normal after a severe storm on Wednesday covered the city in dust and knocked out power for thousands of people in hot weather in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.





The storm swept into Khuzestan with strong gusts of wind and dust particles on Wednesday evening, knocking down power lines and tree branches, and disrupting access to running water for a few hours.

Wind speeds of more than 50 kilometers per hour in the cities of Ahvaz and Abadan and about 60 kph in Mahshahr caused power failures in parts of Ahvaz and some nearby villages, but the wind tapered significantly by night.

Alireza Shokr-e-Khodaee, an official at Ahvaz�s Power Distribution Company, said the electricity went out for a few hours on Wednesday but came back on by night.

The temporary blackout also broke the connection between water treatment plants and the running water distribution network for a few hours, causing problems for people preparing to break their day-long fast with iftar in the holy month of Ramadan.

According to Shokr-e-Khodaee, dust particle levels rose to 14 times the limits in yesterday�s storm in Ahvaz.

The situation has now returned to normal in the city, he said on Thursday morning.