The Phoenix Haboob of July 5th, 2011

The Phoenix Haboob of July 5th, 2011 from
A haboob — هبوب in Arabic — is an intense sandstorm commonly observed in arid regions throughout the world.
During thunderstorm formation, winds move in a direction opposite to the storm’s travel, and they will move from all directions into the thunderstorm.
When the storm collapses and begins to release precipitation, wind directions reverse, gusting outward from the storm and generally gusting the strongest in the direction of the storm’s travel.
They have been observed in the Sahara, as well as across the Arabian Peninsula, throughout Kuwait, and in the most arid regions of Iraq.
African haboobs result from the northward summer shift of the inter-tropical front into North Africa, bringing moisture from the Gulf of Guinea. Haboob winds in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, and Kuwait are frequently created by the collapse of a thunderstorm.

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