Arizona dust storm engulfs Phoenix, bringing power outages and flight delays

Haboob swept through capital, rattling homes, terrifying drivers and leaving tens of thousands without power

A powerful storm kicked up a towering wall of dust that rolled through the city of Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday, darkening the sky, blinding drivers, knocking out power and damaging one of the nation's busiest airports.

The dust storm, known as a haboob, is pushed by the wind and produced by a weather front or thunderstorm. It typically occurs in flat, arid areas. The storm came from the south-east, and was followed by heavy rain, wind and lightning.