The Phoenix Dust Storm that surged across the Valley on Monday, August 25, 2025, was the kind of wall-of-dust event locals call a haboob—and it was big enough to briefly stop one of the nation’s busiest airports in its tracks. A towering curtain of sand and silt swept into metro Phoenix during the evening rush, plunging neighborhoods into near-darkness, dropping visibility to near zero around Sky Harbor, and setting off a flurry of flight delays and cancellations while knocking out power for tens of thousands.
What happened, in real terms
Just after the evening commute began, outflow winds from thunderstorms to the south pushed a dense wall of dust toward Phoenix. As it reached Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, visibility fell to a fraction of normal and winds ripped across the airfield. The Washington Post reported gusts up to 70 mph at Sky Harbor and a staggering 94 mph in parts of the Southeast Valley (San Tan Valley), conditions that forced controllers and airlines to pause operations.
For roughly 30–60 minutes, Sky Harbor enforced a ground stop—the FAA-ordered pause on arrivals and departures. Local outlets and national wires converged on the same picture: flights were temporarily grounded, then resumed in a degraded, delay-prone state as the storm eased. By late evening, more than 200 flight delays had stacked up, with a handful of cancellations and at least one diversion.
Roof damage at Sky Harbor
In addition to the operational hit, the storm damaged part of Terminal 4. ABC15 shared photos and sourcing that a section of the concourse roof had been blown off in the winds; subsequent reporting noted water intrusion and cleanup inside passenger areas as crews worked overnight. People Magazine’s recap likewise cites roof damage tied to the haboob’s gusts.
Power outages across the Valley
At the storm’s peak, utilities reported widespread outages. SRP and APS combined topped the “tens of thousands” mark at various points through Monday evening, with SRP peaking above 50,000 affected customers before crews steadily restored service.
By early Tuesday, outages had dropped sharply into the low hundreds, according to utility maps tracked by local media.
How rare was this?
Haboobs are a known hazard in Arizona’s monsoon season, but each event is unique. Monday’s dust storm was notable for its size, timing, and intensity: a high wall of dust arriving at rush hour, followed by lightning, bursts of heavy rain, and localized flooding. The Associated Press and ABC News described a “towering wall of dust” that darkened skies, blinded drivers, and temporarily grounded flights at Sky Harbor.
If you felt like the city leapt from daylight to night in minutes, the photos and timelapses from the airport make it clear you weren’t imagining it.
Why the dust storm formed (the quick science)
A haboob forms when thunderstorms collapse and push out strong, cool outflow winds. Those winds lift dry, loose desert soil into the air and shove it forward like a plow blade—sometimes stretching for miles and rising thousands of feet. On Monday, storms near Tucson and along the I-10 corridor sent that outflow surging north into the Phoenix metro, where the wall of dust did the rest.
The Washington Post analysis matches what radar and eyewitnesses showed: an enormous dust front, then a line of storms trailing behind it.
Timeline: key moments on Aug. 25, 2025
- Late afternoon: Dust Storm Warnings are issued as outflow surges north toward the Valley. Drivers are urged to pull aside and wait it out.
- ~5:30–6:30 p.m. local: The wall of dust reaches metro Phoenix. Visibility near Sky Harbor drops to near zero; gusts approach hurricane force in spots.
- Early evening: FAA initiates a ground stop at Sky Harbor. Flights are temporarily halted, then resume with significant delays as conditions improve.
- Evening–overnight: Utilities report tens of thousands without power at the peak; outage totals steadily decline into early Tuesday as lines are repaired.
Travel impacts: what flyers needed to know
If you were traveling Monday night, you likely encountered a ripple of delays. Local coverage tallied 200+ delays as of 9:30 p.m., with airlines rebooking and repositioning aircraft as the ground stop lifted. This is a classic “domino” setup: even a one-hour stop creates downstream snarls for several schedules to come. The good news: operations recovered into Tuesday as weather stabilized and crews cleared damage from the terminals.
Driving impacts: why zero-visibility can be deadly
Blowing dust can make highways vanish, which is why emergency alerts urged drivers to Pull Aside, Stay Alive. If you’re caught inside a dust wall, do not keep moving; instead, exit the roadway completely, turn off lights, set the parking brake, and take your foot off the brake so other drivers don’t follow your taillights into a collision.
These recommendations have saved lives in past Arizona dust events. For a full checklist, see the City of Phoenix’s monsoon safety guide (official tips here).
Air quality and health
Haboobs fling fine particulate matter (PM10/PM2.5) into the air, aggravating asthma and other respiratory conditions. Health agencies advise staying indoors with windows closed, running air conditioning on recirculate, and using a HEPA filter if available. If you must drive after the wall passes, expect dust pockets to linger along open desert stretches and construction zones as winds shift.
What to do after the dust settles
- Check for damage and leaks. With confirmed roof damage at Sky Harbor and reports of water intrusion, homeowners and businesses should inspect roofs, attic spaces, and electrical boxes. Photograph anything you plan to claim.
- Mind your HVAC. Replace or clean air filters—dust intrusions can clog systems overnight.
- Drive slowly on re-opened roads. Post-storm slicks from rain-on-dust can make the first mile treacherous.
Setting the record straight
Social posts during the storm claimed “all flights were canceled” or that the airport was dark for hours. The verified record shows something more precise: a temporary ground stop (on the order of an hour) followed by heavy delays, a handful of cancellations, and gradual normalization into the night. That’s still a major disruption—but it’s not a total shutdown of the airport for the evening.
Why Monday’s haboob matters
Even in a desert city that knows dust, Monday’s event was a stress test for critical infrastructure. It showed how quickly a haboob can affect aviation, power delivery, and road safety simultaneously. It also underlined why real-time warnings matter: the Associated Press, ABC News, and Washington Post all highlighted the speed at which conditions collapsed and the value of pulling off the road, pausing flights, and prioritizing safety until visibility returned.
Key facts at a glance
- Date: Monday, Aug. 25, 2025.
- Peak gusts: ~70 mph at Sky Harbor; up to 94 mph in San Tan Valley.
- Airport: Ground stop of roughly 30–60 minutes; 200+ delays into late evening; localized roof damage at Terminal 4.
- Power: “Tens of thousands” without power at peak; rapid restoration overnight.
Bottom line
Monday’s phoenix dust storm was a textbook haboob with very real consequences: day turned to night in minutes, planes paused, terminals took a beating, and neighborhoods went dark. The storm’s punch was brief, but its impacts were broad. As monsoon season continues, keep an eye on Dust Storm Warnings, know the Pull Aside, Stay Alive drill, and treat these brown walls of wind with the respect they demand. If you need a refresher, the City of Phoenix maintains a simple storm safety page with before/during/after guidance that’s worth bookmarking.
