Dust Storm in Eastern Uinta Basin, Utah

The KVEL ASOS at Vernal Airport in Vernal, UT recorded sustained winds 25-40 mph, with gusts upward of 60 mph. Thanks to ongoing drought conditions, there was plenty of loose soil and dust to be picked up by strong winds like these, and indeed the KVEL ASOS recorded a half hour period of visibility reduced below 1/2 mile. No reports of impacts due to this dust storm were received.

On the afternoon of July 15th, several showers and thunderstorms developed over the higher terrain surrounding the Uintah Basin, in which the city of Vernal is located. As these storms underwent their lifecycles and began to decay, they sent out gusty outflow boundaries that raced through the Basin, producing gusts to nearly 60 mph. With drought conditions ongoing, there was plenty of loose soil and dust to kick up, resulting in localized dust storms.