Cleanup after dust storm envelopes Phoenix

Workers cleaned up dust and debris Wednesday after a massive mile-high dust storm swept into the Phoenix area Tuesday evening, authorities said. The dust storm with 60-mph winds delayed flights as Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was forced to shut down for an hour, and cut power in Phoenix and surrounding towns, including Scottsdale and Tempe, KTAR-TV, Phoenix, reported. At times, visibility was zero because of the thick dust. Meteorologists said the cloud rose thousands of feet into the air, with wind gusts measuring as much as 60 mph as the storm moved northwest across the metropolitan area. Drivers on Interstate 10 and other local highways reported visibility of just a few feet at some points, The Arizona Republic reported. In Tempe, police were directing traffic at intersections in areas that lost power, police Lt. Scott Smith said. As the storm moved across the area, Phoenix Fire Department received more than 700 calls for service. \"We expect that,\" a department spokesman said. \"When storms come to the area ... we have procedures in place.\" The National Weather Service said the storm was of a type known by the Arabic name haboob, from the word for wind. The storms can cause severe wind damage as well as damage from dust.