Phoenix was engulfed in a 50-mile-wide, 5,000-foot-high plume of dust last night. The cloud cut power to 10,000 people and delayed flights for more than an hour.
“The dust cloud that hit the valley had originated in an afternoon storm in the Tucson area before moving north across the desert, said National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Iniguez. Before bearing down on the Phoenix valley, radar data showed the storm’s towering dust wall had reached as high as 8,000 to 10,000 feet, he said.
“Once it neared the valley, the cloud had fallen to some 5,000 feet, according to the weather service. KSAZ-TV in Phoenix reported the storm appeared to be roughly 50 miles wide.”
Crazy.
“Crazy” accurately describes the dust storm and the photos I took from the second story deck on the my house. I’ve lived in Phoenix for 20+ years and have never seen anything like it. Within the massive rumbling dust plume were smaller, darker plumes that rose from the ground up to top of plume. They looked like mini tornados.
And, how exciting was it for me to see that Phoenix weather made your post! There’s usually not much going on here weather-wise.