Thunderstorm Wind — Whitman, Washington

2014-08-12 · near Riparia, Whitman, Washington

Event narrative

A line of winds sustained 30 to 45 mph with gusts ranging between 50 and 65 mph blew through Whitman County ahead of a line of thunderstorms. Visibility across western sections of the county lowered below a quarter mile due to blowing dust. Numerous tree limbs were down across the town of Palouse ranging between four and six inches in diameter.

Wider weather episode

A ridge of high pressure over the region for the last few weeks was nudged east by a potent upper-level trough coming off the Eastern Pacific. The trough took on a strong negative tilt and passed through during peak heating. An east to west line of strong thunderstorms developed over Northern Oregon and tracked northward through Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho during the late afternoon and early evening. Additional storms continued to develop along the gust front which picked up momentum as it passed into the region into an inverted V environment. The outflow winds picked up dust through Northern Oregon and Southern Washington resulting in a damaging dust storm or haboob. Visibility along Interstate 90 was reduced below a quarter of a mile and numerous locations clocked winds between 50 and 60 mph resulting in isolated downed trees and power outages. Proactive measures were taken at the Grant County Fair hours before the storm hit with nearly 8000 people evacuated and the fair cancelled to ensure the safety of the staff and attendees. Reduced visibility from the dust led to multiple accidents in the Columbia Basin.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (46.5819, -117.9767)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 534704. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.