Dust Storm — Greater Phoenix Area, Arizona

2014-03-25 · Greater Phoenix Area, Arizona

Event narrative

Isolated thunderstorms developed during the afternoon hours across southwest Maricopa and northern Pinal counties, and they generated gusty outflow winds in excess of 30 mph. The winds spread into the southern portions of the greater Phoenix area, and due to the very dry conditions, they generated locally dense blowing dust which led to dust storm conditions. At 1619 MST, a trained weather spotter in Chandler, approximately 4 miles southeast of Tumbleweek Park, reported visibility less than one eighth of a mile in dense blowing dust. Although no accidents were reported, the dense blowing dust created very hazardous driving conditions during the afternoon rush hour.

Wider weather episode

Isolated thunderstorms developed across south central Arizona during the afternoon hours on March 25th. The storms generated gusty outflow winds in excess of 40 mph which spread across portions of southwest Maricopa and northern Pinal counties. Due to the very dry conditions, the gusty winds were able to pick up significant amounts of dust and dirt, and this led to localized dust storm conditions across the deserts. A Dust Storm Warning was issued for south central Arizona which included the southern part of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 506717. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.