Imagine a HUGE wall of dust as high as 5000 feet tall coming at you that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie! Visibility can drop to zero in a matter of seconds,making a haboob a big danger. They can also cause tree damage and knock out power. Haboobs can last tens of minutes or a few hours,and sometimes deposit large quantities of sand or dust.
One of the most interesting things about haboobs is that they are caused by strong winds flowing downward and outward from thunderstorms. Since all thunderstorms produce these gusty winds,in order to generate a haboob,the storm needs to be in a location where the wind will pick up small pieces of dirt or sand. In the US,your chance of seeing one would be highest in the arid region of the Southwest,particularly Arizona.
The best thing to do if you are driving and about to encounter a dust storm is to pull off to the side of the road immediately and place your vehicle in PARK. Turn your headlights and taillights off and take your foot off the brake. (The reason is because other cars might try to follow your taillights and potentially crash into your vehicle.) Then wait for the storm to pass.
Lastly,let’s circle briefly back to the name because we can’t let you go without explaining that the name comes from the Arabic word habb,meaning ‘to blow’ according to the American Meteorological Society glossary. While there are many varieties of spelling including hubbub,haboub,hubbub and hubbub,the word haboob is “now commonly used to describe any wind-driven sandstorm or dust storm in arid or semiarid regions around the world.”
