Dust Storm — Central Deserts, Arizona

2014-07-25 · Central Deserts, Arizona

Event narrative

Thunderstorms developed across the central deserts during the late afternoon hours on July 25th, and they generated strong and gusty outflow winds in excess of 40 mph. The winds led to dust storm conditions across portions of northern and central Pinal county, including communities such as Coolidge and Stanfield. A Dust Storm Warning was issued for the area from 1646MST until 1900MST. At 1642MST, a trained weather spotter 1 mile southwest of Coolidge reported dense blowing dust with a visibility of just one eighth of a mile. At 1650MST another trained spotter 6 miles southwest of Stanfield reported near zero visibility in dense blowing dust along Interstate 8 east of Stanfield. Although the dense blowing dust created hazardous driving conditions during the evening rush hour, no accidents or injuries were reported due to the dust storm.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms developed across the central deserts during the late afternoon hours on July 25th, and due to favorable atmospheric conditions, they were able to generate strong and gusty outflow winds in excess of 40 mph. The outflow winds spread across much of the central deserts, including the greater Phoenix area, and generated dust storm conditions. A number of weather spotters reported visibilities at or below one quarter mile in dense blowing dust, and Dust Storm Warnings as well as Blowing Dust Advisories were issued. No injuries were reported due to the dense blowing dust.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 526178. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.