Dust Storm — Central Deserts, Arizona

2012-08-11 · Central Deserts, Arizona

Event narrative

Thunderstorms developed across southeast Arizona during the afternoon hours on August 11th. Due to the excessive heat and dry conditions, the storms were able to generate very strong and gusty outflow winds, well in excess of 40 mph. The gusty winds spread to the northwest, across northwest Pinal county, and they stirred up significant dust, causing a dust storm. According to local law enforcement, at 436 pm the visibility near mile marker 172 on Interstate 8 lowered to about 200 feet. This was near the town of Arizola. At 415 pm, a trained weather spotter in Casa Grande reported a dust storm with visibility less than one quarter of a mile. Finally, local law enforcement personnel indicated that visibility dropped to less than one eighth of a mile just north of the Casa Grande airport. Fortunately, no accidents or injuries were reported due to the dust storm.

Wider weather episode

Strong thunderstorms developed to the southeast of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area during the afternoon hours on August 11th. Due to the excessive heat and dry conditions, the storms were able to generate strong gusty outflow winds well in excess of 40 mph. The winds pushed towards the northwest and stirred up large quantities of dust and dirt, creating a dust storm. The dust storm moved towards the northwest, across Pinal county and into the greater Phoenix metropolitan area during the latter portion of the afternoon, and then into the early evening hours. The dense blowing dust created very hazardous driving conditions across the central deserts.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 397066. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.