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A Word a Week Challenge: Unexpected

I was sitting in an airplane on the runway, waiting to take off, when I saw this unexpected sight out my window!

It’s called a “haboob”!

The definition I found to explain this strange phenomenon is this:  A haboob (Arabic: هَبوب‎ “blasting/drafting”) is a type of intense dust storm carried on an atmospheric gravity current. Haboobs occur regularly in arid regions …

It would appear that Phoenix AZ classifies as one of those arid regions!

And it was certainly something unexpected, that’s for sure!

Haboob

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11 thoughts on “A Word a Week Challenge: Unexpected”

  1. Life&Ink says:
    July 19, 2013 at 12:56 pm

    Very cool photo. Looks like it could almost be one for The Golden Hour because of the effect of the dust on the light. 🙂

    • Becky says:
      July 19, 2013 at 3:33 pm

      But it was the middle of the day! And I was trying to follow the rules of a picture taken in the morning or evening hours. 🙂
      And sometimes, I just think way to hard about what picture I should use for that challenge! You would think my life depended on it or something! It’s pretty funny! Yeah, I drive myself crazy sometimes 😦

      • Life&Ink says:
        July 20, 2013 at 5:49 am

        Ahhh, the tyranny of caring. I know it well! Let’s just have fun with it right. That can be our new mantra! 🙂

        • Becky says:
          July 26, 2013 at 9:57 am

          I’m trying…really I am! 🙂 I’m just now learning to cook without following a recipe each and every time! Even if it was the something I had made a hundred times before, I was afraid I would do it wrong if I didn’t follow the “rules”. Tyranny of caring…describes it well.
          So, now I’m repeating after you….”just have fun!” 🙂

  2. Imelda says:
    July 19, 2013 at 3:09 pm

    Pretty to look at…but possibly dangerous maybe? 🙂

    • Becky says:
      July 19, 2013 at 3:23 pm

      I think it has the potential of being dangerous. I think we were pretty safe where we were sitting, inside the plane. However, I would not want to be one of the grounds crew on that day! Yuck, just think of all that sand and dust blowing in your face!

  3. Sangita says:
    July 20, 2013 at 1:25 am

    Is it same as sand storm..reminds me of the one in MI-Ghost Protocol..

  4. robakers says:
    July 20, 2013 at 11:19 pm

    I lived through several of them in 2003. They are no joke. Great Picture, The way you tell your story, the pilot was about to get in the air before it hit.

    I think sitting in the airplane on the ground during a haboob would be a memorable life event.

    • Becky says:
      July 26, 2013 at 9:51 am

      I got the feeling while we were sitting there, that this could be a really bad thing. It was just amazing to sit there and watch that HUGE wall of sand and dust roll across the tarmac! I have never seen anything like it! The grounds crew people stopped and were taking pictures of it too! Fortunately, it subsided within a matter of minutes and we were able to take off without incident. Pretty thankful I don’t live in that area though 🙂

  5. lensandpensbysally says:
    July 21, 2013 at 4:35 am

    Nice capture.

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