Dust Storm in Western Nevada Basin and Range, Nevada

Live public webcam located 12 mi NE of Gerlach, NV showed near zero visibility from blowing dust along with strong winds at Black Rock City from nearby showers and thunderstorms.

A warm, moist southerly flow drawing north into the eastern Sierra, coupled with cooling aloft accompanying a weak negatively tilted shortwave trough lifting northeast across CA/NV destabilized areas south of US 50, and initiated the afternoon development of thunderstorms over the eastern Sierra. Increasing daytime heating and steepening lapse-rates allowed late afternoon/early evening thunderstorm activity to increase later over the Sierra Front, Tahoe Basin, and far western Nevada.