Dust Storm — Coachella Valley, California

2023-09-01 · Coachella Valley, California

Event narrative

Visibility estimated as low as 100 feet locally along Interstate 10 north of Palm Springs.

Three people died in a car crash on Sunday afternoon in Palm Springs on North Gene Autry Trail. Police said the crash was caused by high winds that kicked up sand, severely reducing visibility. Winds at Palm Springs Airport ASOS at the time were NW 15-20 mph with gusts to 25-30 mph.

Wider weather episode

An upper level storm system coming from the Eastern Pacific interacted with monsoonal moisture on September 1, 2023. The interaction of these features led to the development of heavy rain and thunderstorms, which caused several instances of flooding in the Coachella Valley. Some instances of blowing dust were also observed.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1140339. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.