Dust Storm — Tonopah Desert, Arizona

2022-07-16 · Tonopah Desert, Arizona

Event narrative

Video and report showed visibility down to a few feet. No accidents or injuries were reported.

Wider weather episode

An upper-level disturbance tracking through the southern half of Arizona along with moderate instability with MUCAPE values greater than 1000 J/kg and 20-30 kts of deep layer shear resulted in a favorable environment for the development of strong to severe thunderstorms. Thunderstorms first began to develop during the late afternoon hours across the higher terrain, in southern Gila County, and then descended towards the lower elevations, affecting the Phoenix metro, during the evening hours.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1046777. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.