Massive dust storm sweeps through Phoenix area

Arizonans are calling it the mother of all haboobs.

That's the Arabic term for a dust storm, and one such storm that was more than a mile high and 100 miles wide is all that locals can talk about Wednesday.

The haboob blew through the state around sundown Tuesday at up to 60 mph. It halted airline flights, knocked out power to thousands, turned swimming pools into mud pits and caked cars with dirt.

Dust storms are hard to predict, so Tuesday's storm took everyone by surprise.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the storm moved like a giant wall from the south, the dust roiling ominously as it approached. Once it hit, visibility dropped to zero in some areas, trees blew sideways, and even downtown Phoenix skyscrapers became invisible.