Haboob

In case you're unaware, Phoenix occasionally has dust storms called "haboobs." Apparently they were unusually common last summer. Before we moved, we heard about a very large haboob that happened in Phoenix. "Very unusual," they said. Within a couple weeks after we arrived in Phoenix, we got to experience our first haboob. It's unlike any weather phenomena I ever experienced in North Carolina. 

We saw the dust cloud as it approached, and I grabbed my camera and ran outside.

Here you can see the front of the dust cloud:

As it got closer to us, Justin suggested maybe we should go back inside...so we went in the breezeway of our building to watch from there. 

The dust was not as thick as it seemed from far away. I learned to keep my mouth shut after I got sand in my teeth.

The dust turned the landscape into an eerie, post-apocalyptic-looking scene. 

Mountain view and highway view were both obscured.

As the sun set, it started to look like another planet. But those mountains look familiar...

Later, we learned that you should definitely not be outside during one of these. Apparently you can catch something called Valley Fever, which comes from some fungus in the soil. Otherwise, they seem pretty harmless. Definitely preferable to hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes!