Dust Storm in Macon, Illinois

A plume of blowing dust impacted portions of Macon County, severely reducing visibility to near-zero at times. Broadcast media shared a photo of dust blowing across IL-121 between Latham and Warrensburg. A security camera west of Warrensburg also showed reduced visibility. Similar conditions were reported in Maroa, where a track meet was cancelled due to the dust storm.

A deep low pressure system was positioned north of the Great Lakes on May 4th, with a cold front extending southwestward into Iowa. Ahead of the front, sustained southwesterly gradient winds of 20-30mph with gusts as high as 40 to 45mph resulted in plumes of blowing dust. The dust led to near-zero visibility in spots, severely impacting travel and leading to at least one road closure in central Illinois. A track meet in Macon County was also cancelled due to the conditions. No traffic accidents were reported during this dust episode.