A towering dust storm, known as a haboob, swept across Arizona on Monday, grounding flights and leaving thousands of residents without power. The storm, which hit Phoenix and the nearby Arizona City, caused widespread disruption as it moved slowly across the region. At its peak, the storm left approximately 15,000 energy customers without electricity, and as of Tuesday morning, over 5,000 were still without power, particularly in Maricopa County.

Videos shared on social media showed entire neighborhoods engulfed by the dust cloud, with one shot from a passing plane capturing the massive scale of the storm, which stretched for miles across the Arizona sky. The haboob, a type of dust storm kicked up by winds from a monsoon, is common in arid regions, affecting wide open spaces.

Phoenix Sky Harbor and Airport Delays

Heavy winds and rain followed the dust storm, causing significant delays at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the 11th busiest airport in the US. The storm caused damage to a terminal roof, and airport staff worked to assess leaks and clean up water that had accumulated in passenger areas.

The storm also prompted flash flood warnings in parts of Arizona and eastern California, with Gilbert, southeast of Phoenix, reporting fallen trees and traffic light outages due to heavy rain. Arizona’s Department of Transportation reminded motorists to pull over immediately when caught in a dust storm, as visibility can be severely reduced, making it dangerous to drive. This was not the first disruption caused by severe weather in the region, as dust storms and 50 mph winds had previously caused issues at the Burning Man festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert earlier in the weekend.