Story perspectives

Arizona's Category 3 Dust Storm Delays Monsoon, 33% Rain Odds

7/14/2026

Center

ASU Posts Storm

Arizona State University posted video of a Category 3 dust storm on July 12, the strongest of three recorded that week.
Arizona was struck by a Category 3 dust storm on July 12, the most intense of three dust storms documented that week.
Professor Michael Crimmins said a ridge let Mexican moisture reach Arizona and New Mexico, delaying monsoon.
The Climate Prediction Center gives the Southwest a 33 % chance of above-average precipitation July-September.

Left

Heat Dome Scorches

A heat dome is pushing triple-digit temperatures across Southwest, with 108°F in Salt Lake City and 115°F in eastern Montana.
A rare summer surge of monsoonal moisture is generating clouds and light rain over California’s Central Valley.
Monday-Tuesday showers will drop a tenth-to-quarter inch of rain from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite.
Overnight lows in Central Valley will climb to upper 60s-mid 70s, boosting AC use.

Blindspot

Center coverage emphasized a Category 3 dust storm video and a professor’s explanation of a ridge shift that delayed the monsoon, details absent from Left coverage.
Left coverage highlighted rain over California’s Central Valley and a heat-dome-driven triple-digit temperature surge, which Center coverage did not address.

History

Historical Context

The 1930s drought created the Dust Bowl, and on April 14 1935 the Black Sunday storm swept 300,000 tons of topsoil across Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. Congress responded with the 1935 Soil Conservation Act, establishing the Soil Conservation Service under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today’s Category 3 dust storm in Arizona and the Southwest heat dome revive that ridge-driven drought legacy.

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ASU Posts Storm

Arizona State University posted video of a Category 3 dust storm on July 12, the strongest of three recorded that week.
Arizona was struck by a Category 3 dust storm on July 12, the most intense of three dust storms documented that week.
Professor Michael Crimmins said a ridge let Mexican moisture reach Arizona and New Mexico, delaying monsoon.
The Climate Prediction Center gives the Southwest a 33 % chance of above-average precipitation July-September.

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