A massive dust storm known as a haboob swept across the metro Phoenix area on August 25, causing power outages, flight delays, and other disruptions, according to the Associated Press.
The wall of dust was so dense that it reduced visibility to mere inches in many areas.
“I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face if I put my hand outside,” Bernae Boykin Hitesman, who was driving her kids home from school when they got caught in the dust storm, told the AP.
What’s happening?
Months of high temperatures and low precipitation have created dry, dusty conditions across the Arizona desert, making the area ripe for dust storms like the haboob that struck the Phoenix area.
A haboob is a massive wall of dust that sweeps across the land, according to CBS News. The name comes from the Arabic word meaning “to blow.”
Haboobs and other dust storms often strike with little warning, as shown in a video of the storm overtaking Arizona State University’s football stadium. This reduces visibility and creates hazardous conditions, particularly for motorists, according to the National Weather Service.
“Blinding, choking dust can quickly reduce visibility, causing accidents that may involve chain collisions, creating massive pileups,” the NWS said on its website.
“Dust storms usually last only a few minutes, but the actions a motorist takes during the storm may be the most important of his or her life,” the NWS added.
Haboobs often result from the high winds associated with intense thunderstorms, one of which struck metro Phoenix soon after the wall of dust passed through.
The combination of the massive dust storm followed by intense rainfall caused damage and grounded planes at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the AP reported.
“Crews have been identifying leaks and attempting to clean up water where it has collected in passenger areas,” Heather Shelbrack, Sky Harbor’s deputy aviation director for public relations, told the AP in an email.
Additionally, roughly 15,000 customers were left without electricity, per the AP.
Why do dust storms matter?
As global temperatures rise, experts have warned that dust storms will become more frequent and more severe.
“Sand and dust storms increasingly threaten global environmental and public health,” wrote the authors of a 2025 study published in Lancet Planet Health.
These storms harm human health, diminish crop yields, and disrupt local economies.
“The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that such storms can cut crop yields by up to 25 percent in hard-hit regions, while the World Bank calculates that global welfare losses from dust rose from US$2.2 trillion in 1990 to about US$3.6 trillion in 2013,” according to a U.N. report.
In addition to rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns, deforestation and land misuse can also lead to more frequent and severe dust storms, per the U.N. Environment Programme.
These factors can contribute to once-productive land becoming arid or semi-arid, increasing the risk of dust storms.
Dust storms currently impact an estimated 330 million people globally, with that number expected to increase, according to the UNEP.
What’s being done about dust storms?
Experts and advocates worldwide have been working diligently to find ways to reduce the frequency and severity of dust storms, as well as their impact on local communities.
“We don’t have to resign ourselves to a future where communities in arid and semi-arid environments are continually battered by dust storms,” said Doreen Robinson, head of the UNEP’s Biodiversity and Land Branch.
“By restoring parched landscapes and meaningfully lowering greenhouse gas emissions, we can lessen the chances of monster storms and make life better for tens of millions of people,” she added.
Whether or not you live in an area that is directly impacted by dust storms, you can help make a difference by taking steps to reduce the amount of heat-trapping pollution entering the atmosphere.
By driving an EV or installing solar panels on your home, you can reduce planet-warming pollution while also saving money on electricity and gas.
EnergySage offers free tools that make it easy to compare quotes among vetted local solar installers and maximize the benefits of tax credits and other available incentives.
With federal tax credits for EVs and home solar set to expire on Sept. 30 and Dec. 31, 2025, respectively, the time to act is now. Home solar installations typically take 12 weeks to complete, meaning you must act quickly to take advantage of thousands of dollars in potential savings.
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