Monday's dust storm "one for the record books"

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Monday's massive dust storm may have been one for the record books. According to the National Weather Service, the storm was one of the biggest in Arizona history.

Mark O'Malley, Meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Phoenix, says all the elements came together earlier in the week.

"There was a weather disturbance that moved through, we had just enough moisture in the air, and the area has been under drought for several months, allowing the soils to be easily picked up by these gusty winds and created that dust storm," said O'Malley.

The winds started to pick up Monday afternoon across Eastern Arizona picking up the dust. As more storms began to develop, winds continued to blow up dust westward, eventually making it all the way to Yuma.

It didn't end there.

"It actually continued to move across the mountains, and San Diego even saw the suspended dust in the air the next day, so it didn't stop in Arizona," said O'Malley.

O'Malley says this is just the beginning of the monsoon season.

"We may head through the season with maybe more dust storms. There may be a lot of flooding coming up. Strong winds, damaging winds. We want people to be cognizant that monsoon season goes into September," said O'Malley.