The weather phenomenon forms when intense winds from a thunderstorm rush outward, creating a thick wall of dust.

A towering wall of dust, known meteorologically as a haboob, swallowed parts of metro Phoenix Monday evening, plunging the city into near-zero visibility. The dust storm was quickly followed by severe thunderstorms that tore through the city,

A powerful dust storm and monsoon Monday night, followed by pelting rain, garnered national attention for metro Phoenix as residents faced clean up.