Large thunderstorms don't occur often in the Southwest, but when they do, they can kick up giant walls of dust.

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These dust storms, or haboobs as they're sometimes called, can bring visibility down to almost nothing, which is how massive car pile-ups sometimes occur in this part of the United States.

These thunderstorms are most likely to develop during the monsoon, or wet season, which begins in the summer and lasts through mid to late September.

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