Sipu Jha
A massive wall of dust swept across metro Phoenix, Arizona plunged the city into near-darkness, forced power cuts and halted flights at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, on Monday. The storm — a haboob, triggered by collapsing thunderstorms and fierce winds, left about 39,000 residents without electricity, mostly in Maricopa County, officials said. Visibility dropped to just a quarter-mile, sending motorists scrambling through blinding winds and heavy rain.More than 2 million people in and around Phoenix were under a dust storm warning Monday afternoon, as the National Weather Service cautioned of plunging visibility and winds topping 50 mph. By around 7 pm local time, the dust cloud had moved north over Black Canyon City, before the warning was lifted later in the evening.
Arizona dust storm (Pic credit: AP)
Many residents shared video of the giant dust storm. Online users reacted to the rare scene as a set from Hollywood. “This is literally a scene from The Mummy,” one user posted, sharing a video of the towering wall of dust rolling across the desert.Forecasters warned of more monsoon-linked disruptions. “That’s typical for a monsoon, very hit and miss,” said Mark O’Malley, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Phoenix, unusually dry this season, faces a 40% chance of rain on Tuesday, according to forecasts. The state’s transport department, meanwhile, issued a stark warning to drivers on X: “Don’t drive into a dust storm. If you’re on the road when one hits, PULL ASIDE, STAY ALIVE!”
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