When I think about Phoenix, Arizona, I usually think about sweating more than I ever have in my whole life, thanks to summer temps that average around 105. Not exactly the kind of place where I’d want to go hiking in jeans.
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Well, looks like there’s another kind of extreme Arizona weather that looks like something out of my wildest nightmares. Behold, the haboob:
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A haboob is a massive dust storm that’s formed when monsoon winds pick up dirt and sand. Winds in a haboob can reach gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, and the wall of dust can get up to 10,000 feet.
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A haboob can span hundreds of miles and last for anywhere from a few minutes to hours.
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Just before 5 p.m. last night, a haboob blew into the Phoenix area. One driver took these pictures on their commute, showing how quickly the skies above them darkened, from this:
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The storm grounded flights leaving the city and prevented incoming flights from landing. This resident, attempting to return home, captured the haboob from the air, writing, “What a view. I miss my dogs though.”
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All over the city, people were snapping pictures of the approaching massive wall of dust looming over backyards:
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Towering over parking lots:
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And threatening the city. This user wrote, “Phoenix, AZ or Arrakis?”
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This enormous dust storm brought heavy rains and intense winds to the city. It also caused a power outage affecting tens of thousands of people.
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In the aftermath of the storm, some residents are now reckoning with damage caused by downed trees:
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As local meteorologist Amber Sullins tweeted, “This one was a beast!”