Dust Storm — Imperial County West, California

2023-04-03 · Imperial County West, California

Event narrative

SR-86 closed from the Riverside County line to Poe Road due to dust and strong winds. Caltrans reported near zero visibility near SR-86 and SR-78. No damages or injuries were reported.

Wider weather episode

An anomalous upper-level low pressure system moving in from the eastern Pacific moved across the west coast of the United States. This resulted in a tightening of the pressure gradient and thus strong westerly winds across portions of Imperial County, especially the western half of the county, where widespread gusts of between 50-70 mph along with areas of blowing dust significantly reducing visibilities were observed.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1096504. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.