Arizona Dust Storm: THIS MAY BE THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT!!!!! - or, not

Let's see, a line of heavy thunderstorms rolled across South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota on the night of July 4, 2011.

And last night a big dust storm overwhelmed Phoenix, Arizona.

Oh no! The forces of nature have rebelled against acid rain or something! "...the center cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world...." (Yeats)

AND WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!

Aiiiiiii!!!!!!!!

The End of Civilization As We Know It?

None of the news about last night's dust storm had that angle on the story. Not what the Lemming read, anyway.

The events are quite dramatic, without flourishes:

"Big Dust Storm Rolls Through Phoenix"
myFOX9.com (July 6, 2011)

"A massive dust cloud rolled into Phoenix from the southeast Tuesday night, blanketing the sky with gray and brown dust and reducing visibility.

"A dust storm warning was in effect until 9:15 p.m. Gusting winds at speeds up to 50 mph pushed the dust and debris cloud along.

"The dust storm was approximately 50 miles wide in some spots and 1 mile high, and it stretched from the Estrella Mountains in the west to the Superstition Mountains in the east...."

Here's the video that picture is from:


Big Dust Storm Rolls Through Phoenix: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

The storm's made international news:

"Giant dust storm bowls in"
nzherald.co.nz (July 7, 2011)

"A giant dust storm covers Phoenix.

"A massive dust storm has swept into the Phoenix area and drastically reduced visibility across the valley....

"...KSAZ-TV reported the storm appeared to be 80km wide.

"The National Weather Service says strong winds with gusts of more than 100km/h...."

No question about it - that was a serious storm.

Bad Weather and Getting a Grip

That still from the myfoxPHOENIX.com video may look like something from a Hollywood disaster movie. Old-school, that is, before things like Disaster Movie (2008). Or maybe one of the more over-the-top science fiction movies about neutrinos from Asteroid Wazoo-10 destroying the ozone layer because reckless developers bulldozed the last forest. Or whatever.

Don't worry, the Lemming's not going to rant.

On the other hand, if you want the Lemming's take on sounding crazy - also killer bees, nuclear reactors, and mutant frogs - check these posts out:

• "How to Not Sound Crazy - or - THE PARANOIDS ARE AFTER ME!!!"
  (June 12, 2011)
• "HAL 9000, Skynet, and C3PO"
  Drifting at the Edge of Time and Space (January 26, 2010)
  Particularly
  • A Person Can Learn a Lot From the Movies

The dust storm was serious - a Phoenix airport shut down for a while, and motorists were encouraged to pull off the road and wait it out.

But, as far as the Lemming knows, Phoenix is still there.

Or maybe that's just what They want us to think.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Crab Nebula Superflare: It's Not Supposed to Do That"
  (May 13, 2011)
• "Apathy is Rampant, But Who Cares? - The Sequel"
  (February 7, 2011)
• "Blizzard, Cold, and Walking in to Fetch the Tractor"
  (January 31, 2011)
• "Not Many 2010 Tornadoes So Far: Good News or Crisis"
  (April 18, 2010)
• "Recycle Lint and Save Earth!"
  (April 17, 2010)