Phoenix is blanketed in thick wall of dust as major monsoon hits desert valley

Phoenix, Arizona was blanketed with a thick wall of dust known as a haboob that darkened the skies and knocked out power to thousands as a major monsoon hit the area Monday night.

The dusty conditions began around 4pm near Interstate-10 in Casa Grande and Eloy, south of Phoenix, according to the National Weather Service.

But the storms quickly made their way north, prompting dust storm warnings just before 5pm that remained in effect until 7pm.

Shocking time-lapse videos showed a wall of dust rolling through the Arizona valley, completely overtaking neighborhoods.

On the ground, residents saw large clouds moving in, bringing some severe thunderstorms with it.

At Arizona State University, the football stadium went completely dark, video posted by the college showed.

More than 35,000 residents and businesses throughout Maricopa County are now left without power from the powerful storm, according to PowerOutage.us, which monitors outages nationwide.

The tempest also caused a temporary ground stop at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where the winds were reportedly so severe that a roof was blown off in Terminal 4, according to ABC 15.

A giant dust storm approached the Phoenix metro area as a monsoon storm pushed dust into the air Monday night

The storm caused the skies to darken as the Arizona Department of Transportation warned the public to stay off the highways

The tempest caused a temporary ground stop at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Meteorologically observers referred to the cloud as a ‘haboob’, from the Arabic ‘to blow’, which is the name given to the huge walls of dust prevalent in northern Africa.

An airport spokesperson confirmed to AZ Family that operations were affected and crews are actively assessing the damage and cleaning up the water that made its way into passenger areas.

In the meantime, the airport was reporting ongoing delays.

Over in the Ahwatukee Foothills area, strong winds also caused a traffic sign to fall on the road and in Chandler photos showed a tree fell on top of a house.

But the dust storms were not the only problems reported in the area, with the National Weather Service issuing a severe thunderstorm warning for Queen Creek, Chandler, Gilbert, Higley, Guadalupe, Gila Crossing and Laveen.

Flash flood warnings were also issued for multiple parts of western Arizona, near the border with California.

The Sky Harbor International Airport reported ongoing delays Monday night

On the ground, residents saw large clouds moving in, bringing some severe thunderstorms with it

The dust storm in Phoenix caused the Arizona State University football stadium to go dark

As the storms continue, the Arizona Department of Transportation advised motorists to avoid driving in the dust storms – and said it is best to get off the highways as safely as possible.

Drivers who are unable to exit the highway before the storm hits should pull to the side and turn off their lights, the Department of Transportation advised.

Videos posted online showed the cloud of dust rolling into the city

Dust storm warnings came just before 5pm that remained in effect until 7pm

Conditions in the desert city are expected to improve in the coming days with a shift to a westerly flow later in the week bringing drier air and clearing out the chances of thunderstorms after Wednesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Frieders told AZ Central.

The monsoonal moisture could also bring temperatures down, hovering in the low 100s or even the high 90s through the week.