Something in the air

As I approached Kingman I saw what I thought was a column of tan smoke in the distance. I realized it was a huge dust devil. An odd one, because it didn’t travel along. It just swayed a little side to side, like its feet were anchored, like it had a serious beef with a particular patch of ground. Strange.

I stopped for a chalupa in Kingman then headed up US-93 to Las Vegas. Off to the west an almost haboob-sized dust cloud streamed across the valley floor, headed for Laughlin/Bullhead City. Seek shelter and close the windows, people.

Ahead of me was a massive gray wall. Rain. I turned on my lights and wipers when the first drops hit. Then, whoosh, it was like driving into a car wash. Or under a waterfall. Strong wind blew from the side. There was standing water on the highway. Tire spray made things worse. Traffic slowed.

Then the hail started. Pea sized, but a lot of it. I attempted recording it with my phone, but I was concentrating on driving and hit the photo button instead of the record button. I got a blurry picture of the dash.

Then, like that, it was over. I half expected locusts or frogs, but no. Instead it was just 108° hellish heat. Welcome to Las Vegas.