A massive dust storm rolling through the Phoenix area blocked visibility and created dangerous travel conditions Tuesday evening as the storm rushed across much of the Valley at 30 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm originated near Tucson and reached metro Phoenix around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday closing Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for over an hour and causing delays.

Radar data showed the storm's towering dust wall had reached as high as 8,000 to 10,000 feet, or nearly 2 miles, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Iniguez.

This was pretty significant, Iniguez told The Associated Press. We heard from a lot of people who lived here for a number of storms and this was the worst they'd seen.

By the time the dust cloud neared the metropolitan area, it had started to dissolve but it still towered over the city with a wall of at least 5,000 feet, according to the weather service.

The storm also left thousands of residents without power and saw police officers directing traffic at several intersections in blackout areas.

Here's a look at the storm:

Storm Arizona Arizona Arizona