Dust Storm — Chinle Valley, Arizona

2009-04-15 · Chinle Valley, Arizona

Event narrative

The visibility down to one mile in blowing dust was common across the Chinle Valley. The visibility dropped down to as low as 4 feet in the community of Many Farms early in the day (840 AM). Drivers were waiting for the dust to clear along side roads.

Wider weather episode

A cold front with strong to very strong winds moved across northern Arizona. The strongest winds were observed over the White Mountains, the Little Colorado River Valley, the Hopi Nation and the Navajo Nation. The winds frequently gusted into the 50 MPH range and a few gusts into the 60 MPH range were observed. Several locations reported near zero visibility in blowing dust and sand.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 158443. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.