Dust Storm — San Juan River Basin, Colorado

2022-04-22 · San Juan River Basin, Colorado

Event narrative

A large plume of dust was evident across portions of the San Juan River Basin. The Emergency Manager of Archuleta County reported that visibilities of less than one mile occurred in blowing dust as wind gusts exceeded 50 mph. The event was sustained for several hours.

Wider weather episode

A strong cold front caused wind gusts to around 45 to 55 mph across southwest Colorado. An area of dust and dirt from northern New Mexico was lifted hundreds of feet into the air, reducing the visibility to less than one mile across portions of Archuleta and La Plata counties.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1010575. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.