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Video of the day: driving into Phoenix dust storm
The recent dust storm in Phoenix has spawned all kinds of eerie dust storm videos online. But this one is one of my favorites. Cheesy as it might be, I love the End of The World Epic Movie music used in this video as flashes of photos, taken in 2 second intervals, compile to make this video. No matter how many people drove through the dust storm in Phoenix last week, it still seems like a rare and scary occurrence to me. And yet, somehow, I want to drive through a dust storm myself now.
Anyone else feel this way? Who here thinks that driving through a dust storm might actually be fun? Raise your hands...
Filed under: Photos, North America, United States, Video, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brent Schmidt Jul 14th 2011 8:19PM
I saw my old exit! Right before he entered the.... thing. Looks like he made it from just outside Chandler all the way to Casa Grande before it let up, which is crazy to think about.
Mary Jul 16th 2011 4:27PM
The troops had a ton of problems with their equipment and vehicles in the Middle East due to sandstorms depositing debris into them. I cannot begin to understand why someone would submit their vehicle to this kind of torture if it could be avoided by leaving it parked and covered over with a tarp.
skbn113 Jul 16th 2011 6:32PM
This does NOT look like fun.
I'll take A POKE IN THE EYE WITH A HOT STICK for $1000, Alex!
Patty Jul 16th 2011 7:02PM
I think I'll pass, thank you! I don't have a death wish.......ha! Looks like it could have been a potentially dangerous situation and I certainly don't want to drive in it.
Ginger Jul 16th 2011 7:07PM
I lived on the outskirts of the Valley to the east, at old Williams Air Force base (which is now ASU Polytechnic) and my house was right across the street from the taxi way and I had a clear view all the way to the Superstition Mountains (the most beautiful view I have ever had...I could see the lights of east Mesa and AJ at night....gorgeous!). I could watch these storms roll in and they are always amazing to watch. Sometimes it would be this white dust and it would look like fog...very eerie. When we would turn on the air conditioning the amount of dust that would come out of the vents was amazing! Everything in the house would be coated with this fine white dust.
Dale Jul 16th 2011 7:39PM
I drove thru them many times while stationed in Yuma back in 73, always tried to find a bush or something to sit behind and wait it out so my car didn't get sand blasted. It was kind of cool though.
Pamela Jul 16th 2011 8:09PM
No offense, Elizabeth, but you're nuts. Driving in one of these is heart-poundingly terrifying. I live south of Phoenix, and when this thing came through, we couldn't see the trees in our yard. Last year, one of my co-workers lost both of her teenage kids in a massive pileup on the I-10. They had gone out for ice-cream and never came home.
moe Jul 16th 2011 9:22PM
Saw some that lasted for days in the SW during the mid-50s. Wind would stop and you could not see a block away at noon. Then I saw a few really nasty ones in the MidEast. The one in AZ was nasty but at least it was windy and did not last long. The things can really mess up people with breathing problems! When really bad its like dense fog only it inhibits breathing, causes equipment to overheat and filters to clog up. As Dale said, blowing sand can scour the paint off a car and it can really pit your windshield even if the car is parked. Best bet is to get far off the road - beyond the shoulder if possible and wait for it to improve.
J.E.B. Jul 16th 2011 9:33PM
This can't possibly be good for the air intake on a car or truck. During the Mt.St. Helens eruption of 1980 up here in Washington state, engines were scored by the volcanic ash.
m. bru Jul 16th 2011 10:00PM
Jesus, just brought me back to 9/11. Got the shivers.
vicky Jul 16th 2011 10:59PM
Intense...but very cool!
James Jul 16th 2011 11:14PM
I know what it is like driving in dust storms. But back in 1987 I was driving in North Dakota and suddenly I was being hit by a MUD storm. I had to pull over right away and I saw dozens of other cars do the same. We waited for 30 minutes while mud balls were falling. It was the weirdest driving experience I have ever had to endure.
Miz Jul 16th 2011 11:57PM
Mid 60's in El Paso - lived just inside the 2 mile 'get to ride the bus' limit, had to walk to school. During the spring winds it was akin to walking through a sand blaster.
aaron Jul 16th 2011 11:58PM
Its really not that bad. I was on a motorcycle coming north on the 101 when it hit. I was able to outrun it (doing 110mph). It was kinda cool beating it.
Pixie Jul 17th 2011 12:17AM
It is no fun. The visibility is very very poor, and you cannot tell how fast the cars in front of you are going, sometimes until it's too late. One of the big problems is that some cars will slow down and others will run up behind them and hit them. Several were killed on I-10 last year in one of these storms. Also, people will pull off the road and stop, but leave their lights on. People follow the taillights and run smack dab into them. I remember traveling between Phoenix and Tucson in a convoy headed by a Highway Patrol car years ago. The storms aren't as bad as in the past, though, since there is not as much farmland. The empty farm fields would just rise up and blow across the roads in the old days (1960s-1980s).
jimBoChili Jul 17th 2011 1:46AM
i live in Phoenix , it was dusty , mostly a good event and will never forhet and will be washing off my out door stuff for some time to come - dust .
jimbochili Jul 17th 2011 1:47AM
never 'forGet'