simoom

samum A hot, dry, suffocating, dust-laden wind of the desert, particularity of Arabia, Syria, and neighboring countries, generated by the extreme heat of the parched deserts or sandy plains.
(quote-book)
1916, (w), (w) (Macmillan Press Ltd, paperback, p.101)

Stephen's heart had withered up like a flower of the desert that feels the simoom coming from afar.