A sudden wall of dust swallowed part of I-10 in New Mexico, turning the highway into a dangerous blur of brown. In the chaos, ...

When this happens in an arid or semiarid region, the wind can kick up dust, forming a haboob. Haboobs form very quickly. Within a matter of seconds, they can dramatically reduce visibility.

You can see the haboob in the video player above. Wind gusts were moving at a rate of nearly 70 miles per hour. Lubbock also experienced small amounts of hail as rain moved through during the day.

Haboob is an Arabic word for a violent dust or sandstorm. They form when cold downdrafts from thunderstorms slam into the hot desert floor, spreading out in all directions.

A fast-moving dust storm shrouded southwestern New Mexico and parts of northern Mexico in darkness Monday morning, prompting an emergency alert for drivers to “shelter in place” as officials tried to ...

The haboob grew as it whipped east across the dry, dusty landscape. High wind warnings were in effect Monday in the Southwest alongside low humidity, increasing the threat of wildfire.

A haboob is an extreme type of dust storm that persists for multiple hours. It’s essentially a wall of dust and debris that can grow up to 5,000 feet tall as it’s blown forward by strong winds.