Phoenix Hit with Massive Dust Storm, Followed by Wettest Day Ever Recorded

It’s been an interesting few days in Phoenix, Arizona.  A huge dust storm — known as a “haboob” — blanketed the area on Saturday, blowing thick sand on wind gusts between 25 to 40 miles per hour.  And Monday was the wettest day in the city’s recorded history, breaking a 75-year-old record for rainfall.

For the last 40 years in the American Southwest, dust storms like Saturday’s in Phoenix have been steadily on the rise, according to a University of Colorado study published last year and funded by the National Science Foundation.  The increases in dust, according to the study, can be attributed to a combination of factors — more storms with high winds, more drought, land use changes, and even more construction projects.

At least one peer-reviewed paper has suggested that as temperatures rise in the Southwest due to climate change, more dust could be created.  Alyson Kenward described it well for Climate Central:  “Hotter average temperatures mean the region could become even drier than it is already, making it harder for perennial grasses and plants to thrive.  Without these grasses to keep the soil intact, it’s a lot easier for wind to pick the dust up off the ground.”

As for extreme precipitation and flooding events, scientists more readily agree that those can be made worse by climate change.

Phoenix Hit with Massive Dust Storm, Followed by Wettest Day Ever Recorded