Phoenix spent Sunday evening under a wall of blowing dust, and the week ahead offers almost no relief from the conditions that stirred it up. Strong outflow winds pushed across the Valley, visibility collapsed on several major corridors, and a dust storm warning went up before eventually expiring later in the night.
The warning covered Interstate 10 from Avondale to Goodyear along with stretches of Interstate 10, Interstate 17 and U.S. 60 running from Phoenix toward Mesa. Scattered showers and thunderstorms continued across northern and southeastern Arizona through the evening, feeding the outflow that carried the dust west.
Phoenix heat is the bigger story this week
Temperatures in Phoenix topped out at 113 degrees Sunday afternoon, one degree short of the record of 114 set on the same date in 2011. That near miss is less notable than what follows it. Extreme heat alerts are set to remain in effect through Saturday, Aug. 29, which turns this into a prolonged event rather than a single brutal afternoon.
Monday morning may open with lingering cloud cover before skies clear to mostly sunny, with a high near 109. From Tuesday through Sunday, readings climb back into the 110 to 114 range with minimal rain chances mixed in. That combination of relentless highs and thin storm coverage is the worst version of late August in Phoenix.
Why blowing dust turns dangerous so fast
Dust events look dramatic on video and read as routine to longtime residents, which is exactly what makes them risky. Visibility on an open freeway can drop from miles to almost nothing inside a minute, and the drivers most likely to be caught out are the ones who assume they can push through the leading edge…