A haboob (pronounced “huh-boob”) is a dust storm that appears like an advancing wall of dust and debris thousands of feet high and miles long.

A massive dust storm buried parts of New Mexico and Texas in airborne smut Monday morning, shutting down highways and leaving nearly 900,000 residents trapped in a potentially deadly cloud.The dust storm — a particularly fierce variety known as a “haboob” — was miles wide and thousands of feet tall,

Road closures were in place in New Mexico and Texas until Monday night. Video shared on social media showed a driver struggling to see as a wall of dust rapidly engulfed the car.

Powerful winds whipped up dust storms across Texas and New Mexico on Monday, March 3, reducing visibility and forcing highway closures. A dust storm warning and a blowing dust advisory were in effect in the area.