2500-foot haboob reported in Sun Lakes area - 14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro

Travelers beware as a haboob is rapidly moving through Pinal and Maricopa counties.

The dust storm is reportedly 2,500 feet high and is stretching approximately 20 miles in the Sun Lakes area, as of Thursday afternoon.

It covered parts of Tempe and Phoenix. Near Tempe Town Lake, people were still out running and exercising. One person said he was not going to let a little wind get in his way.

"(Haboobs are) still kind of new to me. You can't get tired of it. (They're) something different," said a man exercising. 

Near the government center in downtown Phoenix, flags flapped in the wind, and trash was tossed like tumbleweed.

There was a dust storm warning for northwest and north central Pinal County in effect until 6 p.m.

The Arizona Department of Transportation said highways, including Interstate 10 between Casa Grande and Phoenix and State Route 347 near Maricopa could be impacted by the storm.

ADOT recommends the following tips to drivers.

• Avoid driving into or through a dust storm
• Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway - do it as soon as possible. Completely exit the highway if you can.
• If you encounter a dust storm, check traffic immediately around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down
• Do not stop in a travel lane or in the emergency lane; look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the roadway
• Stop the vehicle in a position ensuring it is a safe distance from the main roadway and away from where other vehicles may travel.
• Turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers
• Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake
• Stay in the vehicle with your seatbelts buckled and wait for the storm to pass
• Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds
• A driver's alertness and safe driving ability is still the number one factor to prevent crashes.

Stay with your CBS 5 Valley Pinpoint meteorologists for the very latest on the storm.

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