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Dust Storm in South Central Pinal County, Arizona
Dust Storm October 4, 2011 · South Central Pinal County, Arizona
What the National Weather Service wrote
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.
The wider storm
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 351970. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.
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