Dust storms + drought = Dust Bowl 2.0: Arizona hit by back to back dust storms
July 24, 2012 – PHOENIX — A dust storm, or haboob, enveloped the greater Phoenix area in a cloud of yellow-gray blowing dust on Saturday night. The dust storms are becoming more frequent. For the second time since Saturday, a dust storm muscled its way into the Valley, just in time for the afternoon commute. National Weather Service meteorologist Charlotte Dewey said the storm was moving northwest and was first spotted between Eloy and Tucson. The dust storm covered cities in the metropolitan Phoenix area such as Scottsdale, Gilbert, Mesa, Apache Junction, Santan Valley, Chandler, Casa Grande and downtown Phoenix. There were no official estimates of its size, but Dewey says spotters estimated it was around 2,000 feet tall. She says there were also reports of 35 mph wind gusts in the area, and a report of a 50 mph gust at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Above are photos of the event from The Associated Press and our iWitness Weather contributors. –KPHO
