Phoenix (AP) – A towering wall of dust rolled on Monday through Metro Phoenix with storms that left tens of thousands of people without power and temporarily grounded flights at the city airport.
About 39,000 people were without power in Arizona, most of whom were in Maricopa County, including Phoenix, according to Poweroutage.us.
Motorists hurried home due to strong wind and rain while the dust storm, usually called a habobous, approached. Haboobs are associated with collapsing thunderstorms and strong winds and can make driving on roads almost impossible.
Berne Boykin Hitesman rode with her son and daughter, 9 and 11 years old, at home from school Monday afternoon in the city of Arizona, about 59 miles (95 kilometers) southeast of Phoenix, when she had to stop quickly while the dust storm flooded her car.
“I couldn't see my hand in front of my face if I put my hand outside,” she said. “It was so bad.”
Boykin Hitesman said she could taste the dust and feel the strong wind on her car rattling until it finally passed about 15 minutes later.
“I was nervous,” she said. “My children were really, really scared, so I tried to be brave for them.”
De Habobob has shortened the view to a quarter of miles over Metro Phoenix, but was cleaned up on Monday evening. Phoenix has been drier than normal during the rainy season in the summer, while parts of Southeast and North Central Arizona have had a considerable amount of rain, said Mark O'Malley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Phoenix.
“But that is typical of a monsoon, very hit and miss,” he said.
The prediction for Metro Phoenix requires a 40% chance on rain on Tuesday before he dries out, O'Malley said.
The Arizona Department of Transportation wrote in a post on the Social Platform X that people should not drive in a dust storm, “but if you are on the road when you hit, you pull aside, stay alive!”
Aircraft on the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport were temporarily grounded due to “extreme weather,” said Heather Shelbrack, the deputy aviation director of the airport for public relations, in an E -mail. By Monday evening the soil stop was lifted, with flights delayed about 15 to 30 minutes.
Traffic lights were also out in neighboring Gilbert, and the storm fell over in the city, according to the police police.
___
Golden reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Felicia Fonseca has contributed to reporting from Flagstaff.
