A haboob covered central Arizona in dust. But what exactly is it?

['Juliana Kim', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] TPR: The Public's Radio 2025-08-27 00:02:42

A giant dust storm approaches the Phoenix metro area as a monsoon storm pushes the dust into the air on Aug. 25 in Phoenix, Az. According to O’Malley, the dust storm — known as a haboob — originated in southern Arizona around 3:30 p.m. local time and reached the city of Phoenix about two hours later. The dust storm also reduced visibility to a quarter-mile across the city. These dust storms are the result of powerful winds from a thunderstorm. Still, dust storms have been the cause of dozens of traffic fatalities in the U.S. over the years.