Dust Storm — Polk, Nebraska

2004-05-05 · Polk, Nebraska

Event narrative

Blowing dust was caused by outflow winds, estimated to be around 50mph, from a nearby thunderstorm. This occurred about 3 miles east of Shelby.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms moving across south-central Nebraska produced little rain, but mainly strong winds. The winds toppled trees in Hall, Howard, Merrick, Polk and Adams counties. Several communities were without power for a time. The wind also stirred dust from freshly plowed fields which resulted in near-zero visibility at times. A 3 vehicle pile-up on the Polk/Butler county line east of Shelby resulted in 9 injuries. The poor visibility due to blowing dust contributed to the cause of the accident.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5401847. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.