A haboob, a type of dust storm that hits desert areas during the monsoon season, swept through the Phoenix area on Aug. 20. The storm, though intense, was fairly short-lived, as a downdraft from seasonal thunderstorms pushed dry dust in a cloud across the area.
"They act like mini cold fronts with the dust layer spreading out in front of a thunderstorm," said AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Ken Clark. "These can bring extremely low visibility and even cause traffic accidents and disrupt air travel at airports they affect."
These local residents captured the event on social media.
Steve, instagram user sdibenchworks, shot the dust storm as it began heading toward the road on Aug. 20.
Sdibenchworks also captured this shot of the dust storm obscuring the sun as it approached sunset.
jace_123456 took this picture of the dust storm by the Pecos Skate Park.
While icy and snowy roads may keep the general public confined to their homes, emergency personnel have a duty to respond no matter what the weather unleashes.Read Story >