Dust Storm in De Witt, Illinois

A plume of blowing dust resulted in severe visibility reductions to near zero at times. Several photos were received from across De Witt County showing near zero visibility, including across IL-54 near the city of De Witt and on US-51 between Clinton and Forsyth.

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.