Massive dust storm disrupts flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport: video

A giant dust storm moved through central Arizona in the United States, leading officials to temporarily halt flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), the region’s main airport, due to low visibility. 

On the afternoon of August 25, 2025, more than two million residents in and around Phoenix were under a dust storm warning. The Arizona Department of Transportation (DOT) issued an alert about “reduced visibility” in the region. 

Video footage posted to X shows a massive dust cloud rolling through the Phoenix metropolitan area. According to Arizona Emergency Information Network (AzEIN), dust storms are unexpected, unpredictable and can sweep across Arizona’s desert landscape at any time. 

This evening: A massive dust storm is sweeping across Phoenix, creating an intense scene visible from Sky Harbor International Airport. Phoenix, Arizona, USA . pic.twitter.com/WQGr0HKSK8— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) August 26, 2025

The storm was reported to not only have temporarily grounded flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport but left thousands of residents without electricity. Currently, 609 households in Arizona have no power, according to data from PowerOutage.us. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the ground stop was initially issued at around 17:30 local time when the storm started, but it was lifted roughly 30 minutes later. The FAA said that by 18:55 local time, the average delay for flights was 15 minutes. 

However, the FAA also said that Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport might enforce a ground stop until 07:00 local time on August 26, 2025. Data from real-time flight tracking site FlightAware indicates that 177 flights were delayed at the airport on August 25, 2025. 

According to the airport’s official website, of the 13 flights scheduled to depart from the airport between August 25–27, 2025, 12 were delayed and one flight was cancelled. 

“Due to the storm, there are delays. If you have a flight or are picking up passengers, please check the flight status with your airline before coming to the airport,” Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport officials announced in a statement on X. 

In an updated traffic report, the FAA said that thunderstorms could lead to delays not just in Phoenix (PHX), but also in Boston (BOS), Denver (DEN), and at various Florida airports (MCO, TPA, MIA, FLL), as well as in Las Vegas (LAS). 

The agency also mentioned forecasted low visibility at New York (LGA, JFK, EWR) and Philadelphia (PHL) airports and reported the presence of low clouds in San Francisco (SFO) and Southern California (LAX, SAN) airports. The post Massive dust storm disrupts flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport: video appeared first on AeroTime.

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