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,

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

A massive dust storm swept through the Phoenix area on Monday afternoon, engulfing the city in an ominous, thick wall of dust and reducing visibility to near zero. Flights were grounded and thousands lost power as wind gusts reached 70 miles per hour in some areas.