The National Weather Service was dealing with more than one dust storm warning Sunday evening, according to azcentral.com.
In one alert, the National Weather Service in Tucson issued a dust storm warning for Central Pima County in southeastern Arizona at 5:40 p.m. MST, with the warning set to last until 6:45 p.m. MST, azcentral.com reported. The service said a wall of blowing dust was located along a line from 13 miles north of Arivaca to near Three Points and was moving west at 10 mph.
The warning came with a blunt message about the danger on the road: “Motorists should not drive into a dust storm. PULL ASIDE STAY ALIVE!” azcentral.com quoted the National Weather Service as saying. The alert also described less than a quarter mile of visibility, strong winds in excess of 50 mph, and dangerous, life-threatening travel.
The impacted locations listed in the warning included Sells, Three Points, Topawa, San Isidro, Kitt Peak, Ali Chukson, South Komelik, Fresnal, San Pedro, Choulic, Queens Well, Coldfields, South Comobabi, Comobabi, Santa Rosa Ranch, Fresnal Canyon, Artesia, Pan Tak and Ali Molina, along with Route 86 between mile markers 113 and 159 and Route 286 between mile markers 12 and 45, according to azcentral.com.
The same azcentral.com report also noted another dust storm warning from the National Weather Service in Phoenix for Maricopa County and Pinal County, with one warning in effect until 9:30 p.m. MST. At 8:50 p.m. MST, the report said, a wall of dust stretched from near Usery Mountain Park to Tempe to 7 miles north of Estrella Sailport and was moving northwest at 35 mph. By 9:16 p.m. MST, another wall of dust was reported from Fountain Hills to Piestewa Peak Park to Phoenix International Raceway, moving northwest at 30 mph.
For Arizona drivers, this is the kind of weather that can turn a routine trip into a white-knuckle one in a matter of minutes. Azcentral.com’s report also reminds readers that a haboob is a familiar monsoon-season hazard in Arizona, when strong winds can kick up loose dust and push it forward as a wall across the landscape.
