How thunderstorms produce dust storms in Arizona
PHOENIX (AZFamily)—Severe thunderstorms and rain are a welcome sight during Arizona’s scorching heat, but before the cool relief comes the risk of blinding dust storms.
How do thunderstorms produce dust storms?
During summer monsoons in Arizona, thunderstorms often form in areas near foothills, mountains, and sometimes parts of the Phoenix area. As the updrafts in the thunderstorm rise, the air condenses and cools. Since cool air is more dense than warm air, the cooler air can rapidly fall towards the ground.
If you want another example of something dense sinking through something less dense, think of what happens when you throw a heavy rock into the water. Sometimes, rain will make it to the ground in the downdrafts, but dust storms can form without rain reaching the ground.
Once this cooler, dense air reaches the ground, it can spread rapidly along the desert floor, picking up dust and other debris.
Where in Arizona are you most likely to see a dust storm?
The Interstate 10 corridor south of Phoenix in Pinal County is known for bad dust storms, but there are times when the storms can reach the Phoenix metro area. These dust storms can be especially dangerous for drivers, as visibility can drop rapidly. Arizona’s Family anchor Jaime Cerreta knows this all too well after she kept reporting while stuck inside a dust storm in 2014.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
