Dust Storm — Imperial County Except the Lower Colorado River Valley, California

2011-07-03 · Imperial County Except the Lower Colorado River Valley, California

Event narrative

Isolated thunderstorms developed across portions of Imperial county during the very early morning hours on July 3rd. The storms generated strong gusty outflow winds which led to dense blowing dust and sand in the area around Brawley. At 115 am, a trained weather spotter 3 miles southeast of Alamoria reported zero visibility in blowing dust. Winds were estimated to be between 40 and 50 mph.

Wider weather episode

Isolated thunderstorms developed over portions of Imperial and Riverside counties during the early morning hours on July 3rd. Gusty thunderstorm outflow winds as high as 50 mph produced dense blowing sand and dust, especially across central Imperial county. Visibilities down to zero miles led to the issuance of multiple dust storm warnings.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 350440. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.