Thread: 50-mile wide, mile-high dust storm engulfs Phoenix

50-mile wide, mile-high dust storm engulfs Phoenix

'We heard from a lot of people who lived here for a number of storms and this was the worst they'd seen,' meteorologist says

PHOENIX — The air around the Phoenix area was a hazy shade of brown and a layer of dirt coated cars and buildings Wednesday following a massive dust storm overnight that was up to 50 miles wide.

The huge dust wall that crossed the metro Phoenix area drastically reduced visibility, halting all flights coming in and out of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Tuesday night.

Flights returned to normal on Wednesday after a few were canceled, some were diverted to other airports and a dozen were delayed, said airport spokeswoman Julie Rodriguez.

A barrage of dust set off fire alarms in the terminal but crews quickly cleared the mess from the storm, known as a "haboob," she said.

Winds ripped up trees, tossed around lawn furniture and caused hazardous driving conditions.

The storm knocked out power to about 9,400 Salt River Project electric customers, The Arizona Republic reported.

The National Weather Service said strong winds with gusts of more than 60 miles per hour moved the dust cloud northwest through Phoenix and the cities of Avondale, Tempe and Scottsdale.

Wednesday morning, the white roof over Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the venue for next week's Major League Baseball All Star Game, was coated with thick, brown dust.

The National Weather Service in Phoenix said there is a slight chance of thunderstorms Wednesday evening including blowing dust.

Tuesday's storm was part of Arizona's monsoon season, which typically starts in mid-June and lasts through September.

The dust cloud that moved across the Phoenix valley had formed in an afternoon storm in the Tucson area, and then rolled north across the desert before sweeping over the city like an enormous wave, said National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Iniguez.

Radar data showed the storm's towering dust wall had reached as high as 8,000 to 10,000 feet, or nearly 2 miles, he said.

"This was pretty significant," Iniguez said. "We heard from a lot of people who lived here for a number of storms and this was the worst they'd seen."

By the time the dust cloud neared the metropolitan area, it had started to dissolve but it still towered over the city with a wall of at least 5,000 feet, according to the weather service.

KSAZ-TV in Phoenix reported the storm appeared to be roughly 50 miles wide in some spots, and it briefly blanketed the city's downtown at around nightfall.

Phoenix's fire department received 720 emergency phone calls during the dust storm and fire crews handled over 320 incidents during the same time period, NBC News reported.

The Arizona Republic reported winds also downed live wires in Tempe that sparked a fire at a busy intersection. Firefighters later extinguished the blaze.

'Grit in your teeth'
A woman in Phoenix, who had parked in a lot to escape the storm, told TV station KTVK, in a video posted on its website Azfamily.com, that she had never seen a storm like it in the 20 years she has lived in the area.

"The grit in your teeth right now ... I just hear crunching," she added. "It is amazing (the storm). It's the most amazing thing I have ever felt in my life."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43650426/ns/weather/

Haboob Hubbub: The Science of the Monster Phoenix Dust Storm

Jul 6, 2011 11:42 AM ET
By Brett Israel, OurAmazingPlanet Staff Writer

The massive dust storm that swept through Phoenix, Ariz., last night (July 5), reducing visibility to near zero and delaying flights, was a whopper, meteorologists said.

The dust storm is what's called a a haboob (Arabic for "strong wind"). In the United States, haboobs are common in Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. But yesterday's haboob was more like something you'd see in the Middle East or other arid regions around the world, said Ken Waters, the warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix.

"It was mind-boggling, just absolutely amazing," Waters told OurAmazingPlanet. "I've been a meteorologist for years and I've not seen a wall of dust like that."

Waters estimated that the storm was up to 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) tall as it hit Phoenix. The haboob was more like a block of dust with a 100-mile-long (161 kilometers) wall on the leading edge. The dust storm was moving at speeds up of to 50 mph (80 kph) and traveled between 150 to 200 miles (241 to 322 km) from Tucson to Phoenix. [Related: The World's Weirdest Weather]

A haboob forms after a severe thunderstorm collapses. Rain-cooled air from the thunderstorm plummets to the ground at speeds up to 100 mph (161 kph), and with so much momentum that it can't go into the ground, Waters said.

Instead, the winds kick up an enormous amount of dry, loose sand, which ripples outward.

"It's like the power of a tornado, but a different kind of phenomenon," Waters said.

Like most of the drought-stricken Southwest, Arizona hasn't had rain in months, so the sand was especially loose before last night's storm.

Arizona has dust storms every year, especially along the Interstate 10 corridor from Phoenix to Tucson, during the summer monsoon season when thunderstorms are common.Five people on average are killed each year during dust storms, typically due to blinding conditions on the highway, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Last night's haboob reduced visibility to between 5 feet and near zero (less than 1.5 m), Waters said. Trees and power lines were knocked down, but no injuries have been reported.

http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/haboob- ... zona-1710/

That was awesome looking. I meant no harm in stating that either.

Blowing dirt' leads to multiple crashes near Lubbock

By Storyful
Posted Apr 12 2019 12:56PM CDT
Video Posted Apr 12 2019 12:45PM CDT
Updated Apr 12 2019 12:58PM CDT

ANTON, Texas (STORYFUL) - Thick, blowing dirt led to multiple crashes and disabled vehicles along US-84 near Anton, Texas, northwest of Lubbock, on April 10, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said.

The DPS said “blowing dirt” caused low visibility, and urged drivers to slow down and turn on their lights if traveling in the conditions.


This video, shot by Julio Reyes, shows several vehicles damaged after collisions near Anton. One vehicle is flipped upside down off the side of the highway.

Credit: Julio Reyes via Storyful

http://www.fox26houston.com/news/-bl...s-near-lubbock

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