Pronounced The Way It Is Spelled

Dalhart Weather Review

By Aaron Graves

Last week’s “dust-capade” delivered its grand finale on Tuesday, March 18, the third dust storm in a week. Locally, it did not blot out the horizon like the previous one did. However, the storm was so widespread it garnered national attention. 

The leading edge of last Saturday's dust storm (haboob?)
as it approached town.

NBC news ran this headline on it’s website: “West Texas Hit With 1,000-Foot-High Dust Storm.” The article said the storm measured 200 miles across. It also used the word “haboob” in reference to the event. 

Haboob. Now that is an interesting word. I looked it up. Merriam-Webster told me it is “a violent dust storm or sandstorm especially of Sudan” - a country in Africa, located south of Egypt. It is a word derived from Arabic, like “tornado” is taken from Spanish. And yes, you pronounce it “HUH - boob” - with a straight face. 

I also found the word in the American Meteorological Society's "Glossary of Meteorology". It says a haboob is "a strong wind and sandstorm or duststorm in northern and central Sudan." The glossary does not use the word in connection with American dust storms. 

Still, NOAA has an online article here that makes haboob the word of choice for those monster dust storms in Arizona. Likewise, the Lubbock office of the National Weather Service used it in reference to the March 18 dust storm. 

"The Arizona Republic" newspaper published a great article here regarding the first use of the word haboob in America. "Forty years ago, a group of scientists witnessed an Arizona dust storm so huge that they proposed calling it a haboob, the term used for the infamous dust storms in Sudan," the article reads. 

Those scientists wrote about it in the October 1972 issue of the "Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society": "In the arid southwestern United States, dust storms of a very similar nature often occur. Although less frequent than the Sudanese haboobs... they are equally as dramatic." Apparently the use of the word has spread from Arizona since then. 

Our last haboob (seriously, it's a fun word to say) registered a peak wind gust of 52 mph. Since then, we have had a couple of windy days that stirred up some dust, but nothing like last week. However, since we are in our windy season during the third year of drought, I thought it might be a good idea to review dust storm/haboob safety tips. 

The real danger comes from being in a vehicle. A dust storm can strike “with little warning, making driving conditions hazardous,” reads a NWS brochure on the subject. “Blinding, choking dust can quickly reduce visibility, causing accidents…”

The NWS urges motorists to pull off the pavement as far as possible if you see a haboob bearing down on you. If you cannot pull off the highway, proceed at a safe speed with your car lights on until you can. 

Once off the road, turn your car lights off. Drivers behind you, fighting low visibility, might see your lights and mistakenly try to follow you. 

Our warmest day last week was March 20, with a high of 79. Most days, however, we stayed in the mid 50s. Overnight lows continue to dip below freezing. 

UPDATED: For the rest of the week, expect mostly clear and sunny skies through Saturday. The wind is forecast to return Sunday, with gusts up to 40 mph. Temperatures will get near 80 degrees by Sunday. No rain is in the forecast. 

A robin at the park.

BIRD REPORT: It has been a while since I did some serious birding, however I have kept my eyes open. The Robins are back, spotted at Rita Blanca Lake park and around town. On the lake itself, Northern Shoveler ducks have arrived. They are very colorful and have noticeably big beaks.  I also had the pleasure of running across a Blue Jay in town, and an Eastern Bluebird at the lake dam. 

High and low temps the past week: 

Mar 18: 59, 32

Mar 19: 57, 25

Mar 20: 79, 22

Mar 21: 61, 40

Mar 22: 58, 25

Mar 23: 53, 24

Mar 24: 54, 28