Staff Reports
GRAHAM AND COCHISE COUNTIES – The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Blowing Dust Advisory for Graham and Cochise counties today from 2 to 11 p.m.
According to the NWS, during that timeframe, strong and gusty thunderstorm outflows between 40 and 45 mph are expected to produce blowing dust that could possibly develop into a haboob. Visibility during the storms is likely to be between one-quarter and one mile in the blowing dust areas.
A haboob is a specific type of dust storm that is generated by the downburst of a thunderstorm. Characterized by a wall of dust and debris that forms at the leading edge of a thunderstorm’s downdraft, the dust can be miles long and several thousand feet high.
The outflows will generally move west across Southeast Arizona, with impacts likely being felt during the mid-to-late afternoon.
