An enormous dust storm, known as a haboob, enveloped the Phoenix metro area Monday. A haboob occurs when air is forced down and forward by a thunderstorm as it travels through a hot, dry area. Derived from the Arabic word ‘haab,’ which means wind, or blow, haboobs typically occur during the North American Monsoon Season, which runs from July through September. Monday’s dust storm and subsequent heavy rains grounded flights at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport, reduced visibility on roads to near-zero

A powerful storm kicked up a towering wall of dust that rolled through metro Phoenix on Monday, darkening the sky, blinding drivers, knocking out power and grounding flights at one of the nation’s busiest airports. This type of storm, known as a haboob, is produced by a weather front or thunderstorm and typically occurs in flat, arid areas. Heavy rain and wind followed Monday's haboob, delaying flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and causing some damage to a terminal roof. More t