India, Aug. 26 -- Thousands of people were left in the dark as a huge wall of dust rushed through metro Phoenix after being stirred up by a powerful storm.

The haboob, or strong dust clouds, grounded planes at one of the country's largest airports, blinded vehicles, and caused massive power outages.

A haboob is a wind-driven dust storm that usually occurs in flat and dry regions during the monsoon season in the southwestern United States. It is caused by a weather front or thunderstorm.

According to AccuWeather, these dust walls can reach heights of 10,000 feet, and wind gusts can peak 50 to 70 mph. These are strong enough to throw debris into the air and bring down trees.

Haboobs pose significant hazards. Visibility can drop sharply ...