Dust Storm — Southwest Desert Mimbres Basin, New Mexico

2003-04-15 · Southwest Desert Mimbres Basin, New Mexico

Event narrative

Winds gusting to 50 mph caused blowing dust which reduced visibilities to near zero along Highway 180 northwest of Deming. This resulted in two multi-vehicle collisions and 2 fatalities. Blowing dust from 50 to 60 mph winds was experienced throughout southern New Mexico. A widely publicized wind gust of 126 mph at San Augustin Pass was highly suspect due to other suspicious factors, but 75 to 85 mph gusts were considered fairly reliable by meteorologists familiar with that mesonet system.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5348834. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.