After the fabulous storm the area encountered on July 14, the following Saturday we had a massive dust storm or haboob – as this has become the preferred term used by local media for dust storm.
The wall of dust started around 5:00pm on Saturday, July 21. I was able to take a few photos around Hohokam Stadium (soon to be former home of Chicago Cubs spring training) and still have time to take cover indoors before the dust flew over me.
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I have never been in a dust storm. What is it like and what does it look like after it leaves? Is there damage?
Well for one thing, all these dust storms just do wonders for the complexion. Kidding…
Sometimes there is damage, depends on how fast the winds were moving. Between the dust storms and the regular monsoon storms, damage can range from fallen/broken trees to roof damage to car damage if things fall on your car and your car isn’t in a covered spot.
I think the monsoon storm I blogged about 2 weeks ago left behind more damage. The dust storms can wreak havoc on pools. Last summer’s dust storm left a layer of dirt on the bottom of my pool. This recent one however wasn’t as bad, but I also have a better pool vac this year, so it didn’t affect the pool too much.
When you are inside looking at it, you literally just see flying dust. The air takes on an orange brown hue.
The wall of dirt moves really fast. When I took those pictures, I had less than 5 minutes to get inside before it moved to where I was.
After the storm leaves, you have debris everywhere. Leaves and twigs and especially palm tree leaves are all over the places. Dirt is bunched together on sidewalks, as if there is an invisible body of water washing dirt ashore – patios and sidewalks being the shore.
I should also mention that you do want to be inside – be it locked in your car or inside your house when the dust actually hits….these storms often carry fungal spores that spike cases of respiratory infections. Thankfully I’ve avoided this since the haboobs have appeared the last few summers but it has activated my allergies.
What amazing photos. I have never been in a dust storm either. Good grief it looks as though it wreaked havoc. That is one mad set of pictures you took. Well done, but I think you are little bit crazy!
LOL – these are becoming commonplace here, I knew I had time enough to snap a few photos and get inside. You know, when I first pulled into the parking lot and started snapping photos, no one else was parked there. After 90 seconds of taking photos, I turned around and four other people were snapping photos in the parking lot as well.
Thanks for stopping by!
Holy cow! What a cloud of dust that is coming your way. I did not know that the dust carried fungi. How scary is that? A haboob. I will remember that term. It looks like a dust tornado and sounds as if it causes quite a bit of damage. Great photos, Nicole. I love that through blogging we are able to share what it is like in different parts of the world. Thank you for showing us your world. 🙂
Yeah, these storm carry Coccidioidomycosis- a.k.a Valley Fever. Valley Fever is already very prevalent in the Southwest and California, but these storms make it much easier to contract the disease if you get caught in the dust and breath in the spores. Scary stuff. I wasn’t too worried about taking the pictures because last resort, I could always stay locked up in the car.
I am glad you didn’t need to stay locked in the car. I hope the dust storms stop soon. 🙂
I hope so too. I’m more worried about the monsoons though. Indpendence Day we had rain from early morning through the afternoon. Every weekend in July has had monsoons or haboobs. We’ll see. Yesterday we had another big monsoon like the one I blogged about on July 14. Right now another one is rolling in and I just saw my backyard light up with lighning, so I’m getting ready to shut down my computer now. It has been difficult to plan much of anything on the weekends because of course all the big storms seem to happen Saturday and/or Sunday.
What a combination. Haboob or Monsoon! Just be safe. Blessings. 🙂
That haboob looks nasty. Son says it left a layer of dirt behind. Crazy weather!
It is crazy! Yeah, I had A LOT of sweeping to do the next morning.
Awesome post …Please follow and click like and help me win this photo challenge…Thanks Tim http://anexerciseindiscipline.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/20-lines-or-less-weekly-photo-challenge-the-skys-the-limit/
Just did. Good luck with this week’s challenge!
When are you gonna enter ….join the fun Nicole…Btw thanks for the like..:)
I just can’t think off hand of a photo I have that fits this week’s challenge. Maybe I’m over-thinking it. I think I’ll sit out this week’s challenge and just have fun voting for everyone else who enters.