Dust Storm — South Central Pinal County, Arizona

2011-10-04 · South Central Pinal County, Arizona

Event narrative

Extremely dry soils and strong southwest winds caused localized dust storms along Interstate 10 in southern Pinal County. One dust storm reduced visibility to less than one quarter of a mile causing a fatal 16-vehicle accident that closed the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 for several hours. A Texas man was killed in the accident and a total of 15 people were injured, two seriously. The dust storm prohibited air traffic, so the critically wounded were escorted by ambulance to the nearest hospital.

Wider weather episode

Strong low pressure tracked through the desert Southwest resulting in strong southwest winds across southern Arizona. As a result, several localized dust storms occurred. One of these caused a fatal accident on Interstate 10.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 351970. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.