The Great Haboob

I was working in the office last night when my husband told me to come out in the backyard. This is what I saw.

Dust storms, technically known as haboobs (no joke), are pretty common during the monsoon season in Arizona but I've never seen anything like this one. 

This dust cloud which has been estimated to be 3000 feet tall and 60-100 miles wide was barreling straight towards the metro Phoenix area. It was incredible to watch.

Once we secured things in the backyard (including the chickens), we went inside to hunker down and watch from the windows. We don't get very exciting weather in Arizona so when it's this dramatic, it's pretty exciting for us.

About 2 minutes after I took the picture above, everything went pitch black. Literally. It went from being light outside to being completely and totally black out - zero light and zero visibility. Strangest thing ever. And a bit freaky.

This video shows an amazing progression of the haboob swallowing up downtown Phoenix. Check it out - it's incredible.

Aside from a major layer of dirt everywhere and a torn shade cloth on the garden, we are fine if not a little dusty.