Dust Storm — Grand Valley, Colorado

2024-04-05 · Grand Valley, Colorado

Event narrative

Winds across the zone ranged from 40 to 55 mph, with peak gust of 64 mph occurring in Palisade. This wind helped carry blowing dust that significantly reduced visibility across the zone, with much of the Grand Valley and the northern Gunnison valley being unable to see local landmarks such as Colorado National Monument, the Grand Mesa, and the Bookcliffs. Combinations of webcams, social media posts, and NWS employee reports indicate visibility was reduced to less that 1 mile.

Wider weather episode

As southwesterly wind strengthened across the Four Corners Region ahead of a potent cold front and unseasonably strong Pacific trough, these winds picked up dust from the deserts of northern Arizona. This dust, along with dust pick up across the lower elevations of southeast Utah, were transported as far north as the I-70 corridor in far western Colorado and eastern Utah, including the Grand Valley and areas around Moab.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1178117. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.