Dust Storm — C & E Adams & Arapahoe Counties, Colorado

2023-05-05 · C & E Adams & Arapahoe Counties, Colorado

Event narrative

Blowing dust produced very low visibilities along Interstate 70, which resulted in multiple crashes during the brownouts in eastern portions of Adams County.

Wider weather episode

A severe thunderstorm produced intense winds in the vicinities of Haxtun, Holyoke and Pleasant Valley with gusts ranging from 75 to 98 mph. Also, hail up to nickel size was observed north of Haxtun. East of Denver, blowing dust produced very low visibilities along Interstate 70, which resulted in multiple crashes during the brownouts. Significant blowing dust was reported along I-70 between Watkins and Strasburg, with the worst conditions around Bennett. A dry microburst near Elizabeth produced a peak wind gust to 59 mph.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1085341. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.