Haboob
... also known as a dust storm. This is the one that rolled into town yesterday evening.
(photo credit: Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic)
They're actually pretty cool to witness, though not much fun to drive through. If you're caught out on the road, you're supposed to pull as far off as you can. Keep your lights off and your foot off the brake, or else cars behind you might mistake you for the road and plough into you.
Fortunately, last night's haboob happened when I was at home between work and class, and since the storms move quickly (20 - 30 mph is typical), they don't take long to pass.
I still remember the first one I went through. We were waiting at a bus bench and thought it was just the grittiest fog ever. But, no, it was the sentient desert trying to reclaim land.
(photo credit: Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic)
They're actually pretty cool to witness, though not much fun to drive through. If you're caught out on the road, you're supposed to pull as far off as you can. Keep your lights off and your foot off the brake, or else cars behind you might mistake you for the road and plough into you.
Fortunately, last night's haboob happened when I was at home between work and class, and since the storms move quickly (20 - 30 mph is typical), they don't take long to pass.
I still remember the first one I went through. We were waiting at a bus bench and thought it was just the grittiest fog ever. But, no, it was the sentient desert trying to reclaim land.
9 Comments:
Holy shite, that's scary cool.
By Bill Shunn, at Wed Jun 07, 09:47:00 AM MST
Wow! That's way scarier than tornadoes.
By SarahP, at Wed Jun 07, 09:59:00 AM MST
Yeesh! I'm all freaked out now.
By Dave, at Wed Jun 07, 10:01:00 AM MST
Naw, they're mostly harmless. The only significant danger is loss of visibility in traffic. Other than that, they're mostly a hazard to swimming pools. A guy I used to work with told me that when he was a kid he'd put on swim googles and sit out in the middle of them while they passed.
By Greg van Eekhout, at Wed Jun 07, 10:01:00 AM MST
Well, if a screaming face forms in the clouds, it still might be best to go inside.
By Jon Hansen, at Wed Jun 07, 05:53:00 PM MST
Cool! We saw footage of this on the local weather last night. The news boobs were all making fun of the term "haboob." Takes one to know one....
By law, at Wed Jun 07, 11:08:00 PM MST
Too cool, even if the picture does look like a bad PhotoShop touchup.
Stay sand-free, man!
By Michael Jasper, at Thu Jun 08, 06:16:00 AM MST
That's actually quite beautiful!
By La Gringa, at Sun Jun 11, 07:42:00 PM MST
I've really only seen one or two of those roll in like that in Tucson.
And I've never once heard the word "haboob." I feel like I should now go and use it for the rest of the day.
By Jackie M., at Tue Jun 20, 12:46:00 PM MST
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