~ Dust Storm Sunset at Saguaro National Park TMD~
They're called Haboobs ~ rolling dust storms that suck the dirt from the face of the earth, throw it high into the atmosphere, and move it miles away before dropping it back down again.
We're not talking a dust devil or two. A haboob can move hundreds of tons of earth, and when it rolls over you, the sky becomes black as night.
I took the photo on the right last Friday afternoon at 5:00 pm, the end of the day for Saguaro National Park's Red Hills Visitor Center. You can see that the wind was whipping the flag as we lowered it.
Fifteen minutes later, I took the photo above. I had no problem pointing my camera straight into the sun.
Remember seeing cowboys in the old western movies carrying bandanas? They're still a western fashion accessory. Bandanas served a utilitarian purpose when a cowboy was caught out in the open in a dust storm--they made it possible to breathe.
There's a stretch of Interstate 10 just north of Tucson near Picacho Peak where the open desert stretches for miles to the west. Other places have tornado warnings and severe weather warnings. We have dust storm warnings, and the visibility can go from severe clear to zero in a matter of minutes when one of these storms rolls across the desert. Here's one recent story from last month:
Fatal accident closes I-10 at Picacho
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Incredible!
Bill
Nature does strange things and sometimes those distructive storms can make some awesome photo opportunities. Love the shot.
GOOD MORNING MIKE! Heard about the Haboob and stayed off the freeways this weekend! (PS - I did it!)
Cool pic; wouldn't want to be in that storm with or without a bandana.
Mike - I guess that you can expect that when vegetation doesn't cover all the dirt. That's an impressive picture.
Hi Mike, I experienced something like this called a Blue Norther when I was in Texas. It is a stunning experience trying to breath through the dust.
Good morning, Mike. Can't say that I have experienced one of these. Pretty interesting tho...
You always provide us with the most amazing photos! Thanks for sharing and stay warm this weekend!!!