People got terrified as "Gigantic" dust storm hits U.S. as it swept through parts of the state of Arizona on Monday, August 25, 2025.
According to CNN, a towering dust storm named Haboob slammed parts of Pheonix, Arizona causing damage at Pheonix Sky Harbor International Airport.
The thick wall of dark dust in Pinal County was carried by thunderstorm winds.
Thousands of people were left without power, and several flights were grounded at the phoenix Harbor Airport after a towering wall of dust swept through Pheonix metro accompanied by storms.
As reported by ET, almost 39,000 people were left without power in Arizona.
Moreover, the motorists near the disastrous site, hurried through strong winds and rain when Haboob approached as dust storms are associated with collapsing thunderstorms; therefore, strong winds can make driving nearly impossible.
Airport Aviation Director PR Heather Shelbrack stated that the Planes at the Phoenix Harbor Airport were temporarily grounded due to extreme weather.
Furthermore, the ground stop was lifted by Monday evening with 15-30 mins flight delays.
Moreover, the National Weather Service issued warnings about the storm in advance, noting it would bring in a fast-moving “wall of blowing dust.”
The warning cautioned of near-zero visibility, dangerous travel conditions, and covered much of the metro area, with more than 2 million people potentially affected.
Moreover, Mark O’ Malley meteorologist NWS Pheonix, reported that, Haboob occurred as Pheonix has been drier than usual during the summer rainy season while parts of southeast and north-central Arizona have had a fair amount of rain this year.
The annual burning man festival in Nevada dessert, black rock city was also cancelled due to Haboob.
Powerful dust storm wreaked havoc on Nevada’s festival over the weekend tossing around early attendees, campsites and trapping incoming Burners up to several hours.
The Burning Man Festival is the biggest event celebrated in Nevada dessert, more than 70,000 people from across the globe gathers to attend the event representing communities of art.
Additionally, the NWS also issued a monsoon warning ahead the storm that could spark minor flooding through Nevada black rock city until Thursday, August 28, 2025.
A dust storm also called a sandstorm is a meteorological phenomenon, common in arid or semi-arid regions.
In other words, Haboob a dust storm or sandstorm is a whirlwind, ensemble with particles of dust and sand energetically lifted to great heights by strong and turbulent winds.
Furthermore, the name Haboob is derived from the Arabic word ‘Hab’ which means ‘to blow’, referring to ‘strong wind or gale’ and has been used by the meteorological community for almost 100 years.
According to AccuWeather, it is usually seen during the monsoon season in the southwestern regions of United States and other dryland areas across the world.
As the storm winds drops it gathers sand and dirt from the ground creating an outward push.
These dust walls can rise up to 10,000 feet and wind gusts can attain a speed of 50mph to 70mph having enough strength to topple trees and catapult debris into the air.
Haboobs are hazardous as they can drastically reduce visibility leading dangerous travelling conditions causing potential accidents.
Additionally, these dust storms also pose health risks as they can be dangerous for inhaling dusty air, causing respiratory problems followed by coughing, sneezing or wheezing potentially worsening heart or lung conditions.
As instructed by AccuWeather, it is always advised to seek shelter when the dust storm approaches. Moreover, if you find yourself driving during a Haboob, then the safest course of action is to stop or pull over and wait for the storm to pass.