Dust Storm — Central Deserts, Arizona

2012-07-31 · Central Deserts, Arizona

Event narrative

Isolated strong thunderstorms developed across southwest Maricopa county during the early afternoon hours on July 31st. The storms generated gusty outflow winds in excess of 35 mph which moved to the northeast and into the central deserts, including portions of northwest Pinal county. The gusty winds created dense blowing dust, and dust storm conditions, primarily in an area from Sun Lakes through Casa Grande. At 435 pm, a trained spotter 2 miles southeast of Sun Lakes reported visibility less than one quarter mile in dense blowing dust. Another spotter located along Interstate 10 at mile marker 174 near the Gila River reported visibility ranging from 20 feet to 500 yards in a dust storm. Finally, a spotter at the intersection of 587 and the Hunt Highway indicated that visibility was down to 100 feet at times in dense blowing dust. No accidents or injuries were reported due to the dense blowing dust, which created hazardous driving conditions during the evening rush hour.

Wider weather episode

Isolated thunderstorms developed across the deserts of southwest Maricopa county during the early afternoon hours on July 31st. The storms developed strong gusty outflow winds in excess of 40 mph which moved towards the northeast and into the central deserts, including areas to the south and east of the greater Phoenix area. The winds picked up significant dust and caused dense blowing dust across northwest Pinal county, from Casa Grande northwestward towards the Pinal county line. The dense dust led to the issuance of both a Blowing Dust Advisory and a Dust Storm Warning.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 395567. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.