Powerful haboobs pound Phoenix area twice this week

Powerful haboobs pound Phoenix area twice this week By Sudhin Thanawala The Associated Press August 6, 2026 - 3:40 pm Dust storms that blanketed the Phoenix area in heavy haze this week were among the most severe to hit the region in years, scientists said Thursday. The storms — called haboobs — occur across the U.S. Southwest when strong downdrafts from thunderstorms kick up loose dust and sand that get blown ahead of the approaching storm cell. They can produce massive walls of dust and debris that blind drivers and make people sick. The latest storm rolled in during the early morning hours Thursday, three days after the other one struck. There were no reports of any significant impacts, though some storms reduced visibility to half a mile. “Luckily, they both happened when it was early at night, so there was less traffic on the roads,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Salerno in Phoenix. Both storms were extreme, Category 5 events on a scale of dust storm severity, with immense concentrations of dust and wind speeds of about 50 mph, according to researchers at Arizona State University, which helped develop the scale. The scale — unveiled this year — was developed using data going back to 2010. “To have Category 5 dust storms occur one right after another a few days apart is unprecedented in our records,” said Randall Cerveny, a professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State. “We don’t see that.” They were only the fifth and sixth dust storms in the past 16 years to reach Category 5, Cerveny told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. He noted the Phoenix area has been drier than normal, which can increase the amount of dust that is kicked up. Scientists have said human‑caused climate change increases the likelihood of severe drought and heavier storms that could set the stage for more intense dust storms in the future.