Wall Of Dust Covers Valley At Rush Hour

A huge dust storm rolled across the Arizona Valley Tuesday afternoon, as thunderstorms popped up throughout the state driving high winds out in front of them.

The early evening dust storm rivaled anything a monsoon could kick up, even though a National Weather Service forecaster said it is far too early for the monsoon season to arrive.

The strange early June weather picked up early this afternoon with thunder, lightning and rain. Severe weather alerts were posted throughout the state, an unusual occurrence in a month known more for searing heat than cooling rain.

The wall of dust, which stretched from Apache Junction to Avondale, preceded a storm that dropped a quarter-inch of much needed rain in Tucson. The rainfall was a record for the date.

The temperature there dropped 25 degrees in 90 minutes, from the day's high of 101 to the day's low of 76.

As that storm was passing to the west of the Valley, another large storm was moving toward it. At 6 p.m., it was situated near Willcox, east of Tucson.

Mike Bruce of the National Weather Service in Phoenix said it is too early and too dry to call the weather a monsoon.

But conditions were favorable for microbursts, he said. Microbursts are localized, severe downdrafts that can cause damage similar to tornadoes.

Last September, a microburst snapped trees and power poles in Mesa like they were toothpicks. A microburst in 1996 also caused the strongest winds ever recorded in the state, 115 mph at Deer Valley Airport.