A dust storm forced a ground stop at Phoenix airport on Monday, damaging terminal 4′ sroof and halting the sky train.
On Monday evening, August 25 there was near-zero visibility and hurricane-force wind gusts disrupting flights and damaging airport infrastructure, leaving tens of thousands without power across the area as well.
The National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm and dust storm warnings as a towering wall of dust known as a “haboob” rolled into the area. Visibility plunged as low as a few dozen feet.
Massive monsoon dust storm this afternoon at Phoenix Sky Harbor.
byu/Brilliant_Night7643 inaviation
Check out this video from Melissa Pond, who was at the airport in Phoenix tonight when the giant dust storm blew in. Her flight was delayed for three hours waiting for the air to clear. ✈️ pic.twitter.com/wi1TPdA6XQ
— Heidi Hatch KUTV (@tvheidihatch) August 26, 2025
Dust storm at PHX airport #azwx #arizona #phoenix #duststorm #haboob pic.twitter.com/CNNQ8UfSw1
— Charlie Budd (@Charlieplaneswx) August 26, 2025
Whoa… Check out these photos from Sky Harbor in Phoenix, as, sources tell us, part of the roof of Terminal 4's concourse was blown off by the heavy winds. https://t.co/M4CslWpgRU
Thanks to Janet Whalen for sharing these photos. pic.twitter.com/ozCwmGCPs4
— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) August 26, 2025
#BREAKING : Dust Storm Blows Off Part of Roof at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Power Outages, Flights Cancelled
Massive haboob wreaked havoc in the US state of Arizona on Monday, as it struck Phoenix city, leaving the entire Valley without electricity.
Several flights from and… pic.twitter.com/QYqEEtYZFs
— upuknews (@upuknews1) August 26, 2025
The FAA ordered a ground stop at 5:29 p.m. local time, halting all arriving and departing flights. Flights resumed around 6:30 p.m. but delays cascaded through the evening as airlines worked through the backlog.
- Meteorologists reported gusts up to 70 mph at the airport, consistent with the outflow winds that carried the dust wall.
- Terminal 4 sustained roof damage and water leaks. Crews were seen cleaning up standing water in passenger areas.
- The PHX Sky Train was stopped, and the FAA control tower was briefly evacuated during the storm’s peak.
By late Monday night, flights were moving again with modest delays.
What are multiple dust storms called? Haboobies…
What a mess. It’s surprising that much dust/dirt doesn’t cause electronic equipment damage.