A massive wall of dust, called a haboob, swept through Phoenix on Monday evening, making it nearly impossible to see. Soon after, heavy thunderstorms hit the city, knocking down trees, damaging property, and cutting power to thousands of homes. At Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, strong winds up to 70 mph tore apart a connector bridge.

The National Weather Service issued warnings for both dust storms and severe thunderstorms as the system moved into Maricopa County. Drivers were told to pull over and wait, as visibility dropped to almost zero. The Arizona Department of Transportation also warned of dangerous conditions on highways I-10 and I-17, where dust and flooding made driving risky.

More than 60,000 people lost electricity across Arizona, with most outages in Maricopa County. At the airport, flights were stopped for about an hour and later delayed up to 30 minutes while crews checked for damage and roof leaks.

In Gilbert, southeast of Phoenix, traffic lights went out and fallen trees blocked roads. Police advised people to stay home if possible.

Dust storms often happen during Arizona’s summer monsoon season, but this one was especially powerful. A collapsing thunderstorm sent strong winds across the desert, lifting huge amounts of dirt into the air. These walls of dust can rise thousands of feet and stretch for miles, blocking out the sky like a sudden sandstorm or blizzard.

A haboob is a huge wall of dust that you can see from far away, but once it reaches you, it’s too late to hide—especially if you’re driving. In the middle of one, it’s almost impossible to see more than a few feet ahead because the dust blocks out the light.

The Phoenix haboob happened just after another big dust storm hit Nevada during the Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, about 120 miles from Reno.

When people started arriving at the desert site on Saturday, strong storm winds raised a massive cloud of dust. Roads had to be closed, and vendors rushed to keep their tents and booths from blowing away.

“We had to take our sign down. We didn’t expect that,” said vendor Mike Chuda to CNN affiliate KTVN. “The wind was so strong and at the right angle that it bent our booth forward. It was pretty wild.”

The Southwest monsoon season is not over yet, and neither is the extreme heat. On Monday, Phoenix got just under a quarter inch of rain from the storms. More thunderstorms are possible Tuesday and Wednesday before things calm down later in the week. The heat will keep rising, but drier air will make late-week storms less likely.

Published: 26th August 2025

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