75 Arizona Dust Storms Facts Everybody Should Be Aware Of

Home to the Apache Reservation and encompassing a huge portion of the Navajo Nation, Arizona is a southwestern state in the United States.

Arizona is known for a number of things, particularly its climate and its many beautiful sights. From the Grand Canyon to the breathtaking rock formations and hills of Sedona, Arizona will have you gasping in awe.

Arizona is known for its jaw-dropping desert landscapes. The State of Arizona is also home to a growing artistic community, adding to the charm of the state.

Despite these amazing things, it becomes a difficult decision at times to visit Arizona because Arizona is also prone to a lot of dust storms, and extremely serious ones at that.

Since it is known for its desert landscapes, it is easy to imagine how damaging and serious a dust storm in Arizona can get. There is much to know about it and here we will look at some Arizona dust storms facts.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety issues regular guidelines about precautions which must be observed by people when weather conditions and air direction are indicating the approach of dust storms.

If you are about to visit the Phoenix area around the time of a dust storm, then follow some of the basic safety instructions such as not stopping in a travel lane and keeping windows closed and seatbelts buckled.

After reading about facts on Arizona dust storms, also check out Arizona agriculture facts and Arizona cypress tree facts.

Facts About Arizona Dust Storms

Dust storms in Arizona are referred to as haboobs. Haboob is derived from the Arabic language and means blasting or drifting. A haboob is an intense dust storm, which most often occurs in dryland areas throughout the world.

During a dust storm in Arizona, winds can reach up to a speed of 70 mph (112 kph). Sometimes dust storms in Arizona are extremely intense. They usually occur during the months of June through September. Dust storms in Arizona may be coupled with light rains.

Arizona dust storms are often called monsoon storms because they mostly occur in the monsoon season. Dust storms are capable of massively affecting a region's climate.

Phoenix, which is the capital city of Arizona, experiences between one to three dust storms every year. The dust can go as high as 10,000 ft (3,000 m) in the air. Dust walls can stretch as far as 100 mi (160 km), which in simpler terms is the distance between Tucson and Phoenix.

One of the biggest dust storms to hit the valley was in 2011, on July 5. This dust storm went up to the height of 5,000 ft (1,500 m), and stretched over the entirety of the valley, starting from Goodyear to the Apache Junction.

This storm was worthy of being called a haboob. There have been about 100 dust storms reported in Arizona in the last decade.

Horrifying Facts About Arizona Dust Storms

Dust storms are considered the third most lethal and dangerous weather conditions. Dust storms, especially the kind that is common in Arizona, are capable of even killing people.

Haboobs can be better understood as massive walls of dust resulting from dangerously strong winds rushing out of a thunderstorm. Haboobs are usually a result of tornadoes, downbursts, or straight-line winds. Each of these three wind types is the result of thunderstorms.

How do you prepare for Arizona dust storms?

The Arizona Department of Public Safety has issued several safety measures to be undertaken during a dust storm, especially if driving.

Arizona has a lot of services like Dust Storm Watch and Dust Storm Warning. Dust Storm Watch informs when and where a dust storm is predicted to hit.

Dust Storm Warning is usually declared when poor visibility is established. When visibility is half a mile or less on account of blowing dust or strong winds, then a warning is issued.

If you find yourself caught in a dust storm while driving, it is advisable to begin slowing down and look ahead and behind for traffic to avoid hitting anyone else.

Once you have successfully stopped your car in a safe area, away from the highway and emergency lanes, take your foot off the brake pedal and turn on your emergency brake instead.

Completely exit your vehicle out of the travel lane while you are slowing down. You should turn all lights off, including the emergency lights of your vehicle.

If you are in your house, according to Maricopa County Emergency Management, you should keep windows and doors closed, and draw the shutters down for the windows. Remove furniture and other items that may be kept outside. It is important to keep exposed skin covered.

Health Risk Facts Related To Arizona Dust Storms

Particles of debris floating around in the air during a dust storm are harmful to health, so it is necessary to ensure you do not breathe them in. Cover your nose and wear a mask.

Breathing in these particles can lead to risks such as eye diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and other serious illnesses. Avoid driving during a dust storm. Since dust storms can bring visibility down to zero in a matter of seconds, they can cause traffic accidents very easily.

Dust storms, owing to their violent nature, are even capable of carrying diseases. During the epic Dust Bowl of the '30s, Kansas was exposed to several diseases like measles, strep throat, and more, causing thousands of deaths and increasing the infant mortality rate.

Dust storms carry a viscous mix of fungi, chemicals, and pollutants, which are capable of causing and spreading diseases across countries. They are also attributed for spreading meningitis in Africa as well as valley fever in the southern United States.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 75 Arizona dust storms facts then why not take a look at Arizona desert facts or Arizona economy facts.