What is the location of the dust storm?
On August 26, 2025, a massive dust storm, known as a haboob, swept across central Arizona, particularly impacting the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The storm surged through Maricopa County, with visibility dropping to near zero, and extended into surrounding areas including Pinal County (1).
The wall of dust was driven by collapsing thunderstorms tied to the Southwest monsoon pattern, creating a towering wall of debris that engulfed major highways and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (4).
Which cities or areas are affected by the dust storm?
The cities and areas affected by the dust storm include:
How long will the dust storm last?
The haboob itself lasted several hours on the evening of August 26, 2025. While the immediate wall of dust has cleared, associated thunderstorms and their impacts continued into the following day.
Forecasts suggested additional chances of storms into mid-week before conditions were expected to stabilize (3).
Are there any alerts in place?
Authorities issued dust storm and severe thunderstorm warnings for Maricopa County, urging drivers to avoid travel and to “pull aside, stay alive” during near-zero visibility conditions (2).
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport imposed a temporary ground stop, halting flights for about an hour due to dangerous conditions.
In addition, the Arizona Department of Transportation warned of hazardous driving conditions on I-10 and I-17, with traffic light outages and downed trees reported in Gilbert.
By the following day, power restoration efforts were nearly complete, and flight operations had resumed with only minor delays.
How can I protect myself from poor air quality?
- Get a free air quality app for real-time air quality alerts and forecasts.
- Shut doors and windows and set the HVAC to recirculate mode.
- Contribute to your community’s outdoor air quality data.
- Stay indoors when air quality is poor; if you do need to go outdoors, wear a KN95/FFP2 mask.
- Run a high-performance air purifier to filter particles, gases, and other pollutants.
