A vibrant scene where the word "HABOOB" is displayed over an image of an orange and pink cloud-filled sky, as if the day has been swallowed by a mesmerizing sunset or sunrise.

The day the Haboob swallowed me

A blog by Monica Etcheverry

Tall cacti stand in a desert landscape with rugged mountains in the background, under a dramatic sunset sky filled with streaks of orange and red clouds, as if the day has been swallowed by the vibrant hues.

Most of the Arizona days are like the one in the picture, gorgeous, full of beautiful colours, stunning sunrises as well as sunsets. That’s when there’s no haboob coming soon!

The first time I saw a “haboob” was in a movie and I thought, what an exaggeration!

Living in Uruguay, I know perfectly well what is coming when they say: a cold front is coming. This means a lot of rain and wind from the south, which generally leaves behind (in 1 or 2 days) good weather and a blue sky. A haboob is totally different.

One day, when I was driving to work on Highway 51 (an 8-lane highway) I suddenly began to see something like a distant fog that seemed to be getting closer and therefore bigger. It was no ordinary fog, it was a beige colour. As it approached, the thickness increased, creating an enormous cloud several kilometres high and it was impossible for me to see the width. I got scared and decided to stop on the side of the road, wanting to understand what was happening and also thinking about what I should do to face this enormous barrier that seemed to be eating up the city. This is like in the Indiana Jones movie!-I thought.

A massive Haboob storm approaches a suburban neighborhood, casting a brown haze over the sky and partially obscuring the view of houses and parked cars as if they were being swallowed by the day.

I decided it was best to stay in the car, waiting for the terrifying fog. I was already telling myself stories about how this was going to turn out! How to drive in such thick fog? Would it be possible to return home? What would go through my husband’s mind when he saw what was coming and I was away from home? Anyway, the fog advanced and swallowed everything that was possible to see, while I did nothing but take photos so that it would be proof of what had happened when someone found me.

A massive Haboob storm approaches a residential area with trees and a palm tree visible in the foreground. Two people stand to the left, observing how the day is about to be swallowed by the impending storm.

Suddenly, I had it in front of me, it wasn’t fog, it was sand, a sandstorm and yes, like something out of a movie, terribly huge and covering everything in its path. I found myself enveloped in that fog and wind, without visibility, I could no longer see anything outside the car, in any direction. I only felt that sand was hitting the windscreen and I was astonished. I waited still, not knowing what to do. It was no longer worth taking photos since nothing could be seen!

A street scene during a heavy Haboob with low visibility; faint outlines of swallowed streetlights, trees, and a road sign are barely visible.

About 15-20 minutes passed, which seemed like an eternity, and I began to see that other cars both behind and in front of me had parked on the side of the road. All of them with emergency lights, the highway looked like a Christmas tree with all the car lights. Little by little I could see my surroundings and I realized that the fog was disappearing. I saw it going away in the rearview mirror. And I was still alive!

A car with red taillights drives on a foggy road, as if swallowed by the haze, with minimal visibility. Four headlights are faintly seen ahead.

We all continued our way and when I got to work I found out that that fog had been a Haboob, a sand storm, which usually happens in summer in Phoenix, which comes from the Sonoran Desert, Mexico. I also learned that it is dangerous for the respiratory tract because it brings spores that lodge in the lungs, causing what they call “valley fever.”
These Haboobs appear without warning and in no time they are over the city. Unconsciously I did what I should have done: stop the car on the side of the road with the emergency lights on. The other thing you have to do is simply wait for it to happen. Within half an hour, everything returnes to normal and life goes on as if nothing had happened.

There were many Haboobs that I came across, each one with its own intensity, at different times of the day. I can definitely promise that when you see it coming in front of you, you wonder if the end of your life has arrived and that enormity takes you away! Thank goodness, it was just another adventure to tell!

Aerial view of a large dust storm, known as a haboob, approaching a city. Thick clouds of dust are moving in from the horizon under partly cloudy skies, threatening to swallow the landscape and darken the day.

Sooner or later, everyone faces a haboob during life. Sometimes it takes us by surprise and leaves us perplexed until we have an idea of how to react. I do know now (after facing many habbobs!) that when it’s facing us, we need to stop, try to relax and make our minds clear. Take our time to think what we should do, then choose our best option. Last, always remember, always!, they only last for a short period of time and life continues as usual and so will yours. “A sand storm passes, the stars remain.” Ugandan proverb.

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