Last Year, Phoenix, Arizona experienced a large dust storm, also known as a haboob, that caused large amounts of damage and flight delays. The Huffington Post reports that the storm reached heights of around 8,000-10,000 feet and about 50 miles wide in certain areas. Images of the storm reveal what appears to be a huge wall of sand and dust engulfing the city or something out of an apocalyptic film.

A dust storm or sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, a process that moves soil from one place and deposits it in another. The Sahara and drylands around the Arabian peninsula are the main terrestrial sources of airborne dust, with some contributions from Iran, Pakistan and India into the Arabian Sea, and China's significant storms deposit dust in the Pacific. It has been argued that recently, poor management of the Earth's drylands, such as neglecting the fallow system, are increasing dust storms from desert margins and changing both the local and global climate, and also impacting local economies.