dust storm (Flagstaff, Carefree: housing, construction, move)

[sunshinecities]

How was the dust storm the other day? Anyone get caught up in it on the road?

[CodyW]

Our neighborhood was pretty trashed afterwards. Two trees were down, and a bunch of them lost branches. The wind didn't look THAT strong. =/ Maybe the trees were just weak. I went outside in the middle of it, and visibility could've been worse. Don't know what it was like on the roads.

Might've been stronger in other places though.

And the worst part was that I just washed the car. :'(

[sablebaby]

I got caught up in it a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty bad. I was sitting at a light and my car was shaking and I couldn't see much around me. It was a little scary. But the reason it was so bad where I was is because it was next to a landfill and a construction site where there is loose dirt. After I drove off it got better. I have never been caught up in a dust storm like that except one time driving from Vegas, oh wait, that was a thunderstorm with no visibility.

This last dust storm I just got wind, but my large tree was taking a beating from it!

[Steve-o]

How frequently do you guys get them? Last time I was down, I saw one from a distance. We were at the Horny Toad in Carefree and it was up to the NE of town, pretty big one too. Then I was pumpin gas at a station up near Flagstaff somewhere, and I was caught up in a mini one, which kinda hurt because I was getting pelted with sand and dirt, etc. Have any of these dust/dirt storms damaged your cars or homes? Do you guys need to have annual vent cleaning because of said storms? What part of year do they occur most in?

[hughesgirl]

I did! I was riding the bus home from the mall with my daughter and her two boys ( I had foot surgery and can't drive for awhile). After my daughter got off at her stop the bus continued on and the dust was so bad the driver had to pull over and sit for 5 minutes until the dust past by. When I got off at my stop I had 4 blocked to hobble home and the wind blew all kinds of stuff past me. It was even hard to carry my shopping bags cause they were being caught by the wind. Gotta love em!!!

Valerie

[sheena]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

How frequently do you guys get them? Last time I was down, I saw one from a distance. We were at the Horny Toad in Carefree and it was up to the NE of town, pretty big one too. Then I was pumpin gas at a station up near Flagstaff somewhere, and I was caught up in a mini one, which kinda hurt because I was getting pelted with sand and dirt, etc. Have any of these dust/dirt storms damaged your cars or homes? Do you guys need to have annual vent cleaning because of said storms? What part of year do they occur most in?

Sometimes they can cause damage, you just shouldn't be out in them. It's usually zero visibility when you are driving in a bad one, it usually sneeks up in rush hour so sometimes you can't help getting caught in it. Also you don't want to get hit by flying debris. So many people think it's safe to let your kids play outside during one. I guess it's the parents who don't watch their kids around water and the one's leaving their kids in the car in 120 plus degrees. It happens in the Summer and the months leading up to Summer. It's just a part of living in the desert, not something to really worry about when thinking about a move but just be aware.
It will ground the planes also and cause delay in landings if one is taking place.

[cloud dweller]

Hey everyone,we have dust storms 24 hours a day in Pitts-burgh,Pa.You see,the streets are covered with filth,dirt and litter and everything that moves blows this mess into the air.Combine that with 300 totally cloudy days a year and what do you have-the dirtiiest place in America with cheap housing.
You people who live in Arizona,be happy and be glad you have sunshine.Stop whining about square footage and enjoy life.

[Steve-o]

300 cloudy days a year, eh? Wow, must be the cloudiest place on earthand horribly depressing. Oh the humilityyyyy!!!!!!!!!

I hope you can sense my sarcasm here....