On Sunday afternoon, a thunderstorm collapsed south of Phoenix, and a downward burst of wind collected a towering plume of dust that swept across the region – known as a haboob.
High in the sky to the east, a Southwest Airlines pilot, Ryan Vermillion, captured an unforgettable view of the exploding storm and the dramatic haboob along its edge.
Vermillion was extremely fortunate to witness the blinding wall of dust from the air, as Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport closed just moments after his flight took off.
“I took the photo at about 11,000 feet after departure from Phoenix,” Vermillion said. “We were doing our best to get off the ground before the airport closed, and we ended up being the last to depart. Once we got turned around and headed east, we got a great view! I had to use a panoramic to capture the whole thing, but it really did turn out awesome!”
His photo has since gone viral on social media.
The perspective it provides is reminiscent of another viral photograph from Phoenix of a microburst that was taken from a helicopter in July:
Just as the haboob was visually stunning from the air, it also produced spectacle on the ground. See photos and an amazing video, below…
One of the most iconic #monsoon images I’ve captured. @UPS plane landing at Phx Sky Harbor in a #haboob. #azwx pic.twitter.com/dqaDO9WlOu
— Chris Frailey (@Chris_Frailey) August 22, 2016
Cool series from Jim Schoch of today's #haboob as seen from Cityscape over ~25 mins, he says. #abc15wx pic.twitter.com/QPrLhkhhtb
— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) August 22, 2016
Pano of yesterday's #haboob that approached @PHXSkyHarbor. South Mountain is totally engulfed by the storm. #azwx pic.twitter.com/DTi4XFkG3B
— Chris Frailey (@Chris_Frailey) August 22, 2016
It’s been nice having the haboob return to form this monsoon. Another shot from yesterday. #azwx pic.twitter.com/Lu38IECNWw
— Mike Olbinski (@MikeOlbinski) August 22, 2016
(Update, August 25: The introduction to this story was revised to provide a more complete explanation of the content of the lead photograph).