Tuesday night, Phoenix encountered a massive dust storm that swept across the Valley, leaving the area in destruction.
The wall of dust rolled into the Valley starting at about 7:30 p.m.
The mile-high dust storm moved at nearly 30 mph and forced Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to shut down for nearly an hour.
As Reported By Associated Press:
Winds ripped up trees, tossed around lawn furniture and caused hazardous driving conditions.
The Arizona Republic reports the storm knocked out power to about 9,400 Salt River Project electric customers.
The white roof over Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the venue for next week’s Major League Baseball All Star Game is also coated with thick, brown dust.
The National Weather Service in Phoenix says there’s a slight chance of thunderstorms Wednesday evening including blowing dust.
The dust cloud that moved across the Phoenix valley Tuesday night had formed in an afternoon storm in the Tucson area, and then rolled north across the desert before sweeping over the city like an enormous wave, said National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Iniguez.
Radar data showed the storm’s towering dust wall had reached as high as 8,000 to 10,000 feet, or nearly 2 miles, he said.
“This was pretty significant,” Iniguez told The Associated Press. “We heard from a lot of people who lived here for a number of storms and this was the worst they’d seen.”
By the time the dust cloud neared the metropolitan area, it had started to dissolve but it still towered over the city with a wall of at least 5,000 feet, according to the weather service.
The Federal Aviation Administration said on its website that because of low visibility in the area, no Phoenix-bound flights were allowed to leave Las Vegas or Los Angeles airports until 9 p.m., and flights at the airport were delayed for about an hour.
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A giant dust storm covers Phoenix on the evening of July 5, 2011.
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A giant dust storm covers Phoenix on the evening of July 5, 2011.
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A giant dust storm covers Phoenix on the evening of July 5, 2011.
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A giant dust storm covers Phoenix on the evening of July 5, 2011.
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A giant dust storm covers Phoenix on the evening of July 5, 2011.
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A giant dust storm covers Phoenix on the evening of July 5, 2011.
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A giant dust storm covers Phoenix on the evening of July 5, 2011.
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A giant dust storm covers Phoenix on the evening of July 5, 2011.
