Dust Storm — Upper Gila River Valley, Arizona

2009-07-17 · Upper Gila River Valley, Arizona

Event narrative

Strong thunderstorm winds created widespread blowing dust in Safford, with a trained spotter reporting less than 1/4 mile visibility in the downtown area.

Wider weather episode

Strong high pressure aloft was centered over northern Arizona on July 17th, setting up a brisk northeast flow aloft over southeast Arizona. Afternoon thunderstorms that formed on the Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains northeast of Tucson were pushed southwest across southern Arizona. A relatively dry boundary layer led to several instances of damaging downburst winds, along with areas of blowing dust.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 173104. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.