Blackouts, Flight Ban as Huge Dust Storm Blankets US City

A massive cloud of gritty, stinging dust surged through the city of Phoenix on Monday. It cancelled flights, knocked out power to thousands of homes, and covered cars, streets, and even people in a fine layer of dust before rain washed it away. 

The miles-long sandstorm was an event known as a haboob. The term comes from the Arabic word haab. It means “wind” or “blow.” A haboob can occur any place where there are strong winds and desert sands. Monday’s haboob in Arizona was caused by a strong rainstorm. It pushed ahead hot, dry air. This air stirred up a wall of sand and grit. It reached thousands of feet into the sky.  

The strong winds and abrasive sands interfered with power lines and converters. The weather event knocked out power to 15,000 homes in Maricopa County, said Poweroutage.us. Visibility dropped to mere inches. This forced delays at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. A terminal roof was also damaged at the airport.

Phoenix parent Bernae Boykin Hitesman was driving her children home from school when the haboob swept over her route. “I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face if I put my hand outside,” she told The Associated Press. She was forced to pull over and wait for the dust cloud to pass.

“I was nervous,” Hitesman recalled. “My kids were really, really scared, so I was trying to be brave for them.”  

After the storm, residents reflected on the experience as they set to cleaning up the muddy mess. Dust blew through each “little crack and space” in retired professor Richard Filley's house. Yet he told the AP that haboobs are “a spectacular natural phenomenon … kind of beautiful in their own way.”  

Reflect: What helps you stay calm when things around you feel out of control, such as unexpected weather events?

Photo of haboob in Arizona from Wikimedia Commons.