This recent haboob in Arizona stretched at least 50 miles wide. The storms are named after the Arabic word haab, which means “wind“ or “blow.“

Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 

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NCSS: People, Places, and Environments • Science, Technology, and Society

Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4

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GEOGRAPHY | U.S. NEWS

“It Came Out of Nowhere!”

A colossal wall of dust engulfed Phoenix, Arizona, this summer. Could a storm like this happen near you?

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

It was like a scene from a disaster movie. First, severe thunderstorms roared to life. Then something even more ominous took shape in the sky. With one look at what was headed their way, people ran for shelter, panicked drivers pulled over, and the airport grounded flights. Moments later, a towering mountain of dust closed in, temporarily swallowing an entire city. 

What was this weather phenomenon that swept through Phoenix, Arizona, and nearby communities this past August? It was a haboob. That is a massive dust storm that forms when powerful winds from thunderstorms lift large amounts of dust and debris into the air. This particular dust cloud was about 5,000 feet tall and dozens of miles wide.

Warren Faidley/Getty Images

Officials urged drivers to pull over to avoid accidents.


Haboobs are common in hot, dry regions of the world, including the Arabian Peninsula in Asia and the Sahara desert in Africa. But they also occur in the Southwestern United States, especially during the monsoon season, which lasts from June through September in North America. Strong winds called monsoons blow in from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California, often bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms with them.

Only a few haboobs whip up in the Southwestern U.S. each year. And scientists say they usually form with little warning.

Blake Lynch, 12, of Phoenix, knows that firsthand. The seventh-grader was at home about to have dinner with his family on August 25 when they got an alert that the storm was minutes away.

“We looked outside and we saw this huge dust cloud coming toward us,” Blake says. “It came out of nowhere very fast and just enveloped our house.” 

—Brooke Ross

Question: How can humans prepare for or adapt to extreme weather events? 

Geography
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