A dust storm moves through Phoenix, Thursday, July 3, 2014.
A blinding dust storm has swept through central Arizona and briefly prompted the grounding of flights at Phoenix's main airport.
Sky Harbor International Airport spokeswoman Julie Rodriguez says the suspension of all inbound and outbound flights took effect Thursday evening. During the suspension, 24 inbound flights were diverted to other airports.
Meteorologist Charlotte Dewey of the National Weather Service tells the Arizona Republic that the storm swept into the Phoenix area about 7:30 p.m. and was expected to linger for three to four hours.
The Weather Service is predicting a 30 to 35 percent chance of rain for Friday.