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.