Dust Storm — Cochise County, Arizona

2003-01-06 · Cochise County, Arizona

Event narrative

Strong winds throughout the day caused another accident due to blowing dust on Interstate 10 around 4:15 pm MST. This accident, which was a result of reduced visibilities, caused a 3 vehicle pile up on Grant Road, 10 miles north of Willcox. This tragic accident caused the fatality of a 5 year old girl, as well as 4 minor injuries.

Wider weather episode

High pressure was building over the west coast on the 5th of January, as a low pressure system was moving over the Four Corners region. The tightened pressure gradients between the two systems created strong winds across Southeast Arizona with sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. These strong winds also caused dust storms in areas prone to blowing dust, especially along Interstate 10 between Benson and San Simon. Two different accidents occurred during the 6th in Cochise county which resulted in deaths of a child and an infant.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5341555. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.