Dust Storm — Southern San Joaquin Valley, California

1998-10-24 · Southern San Joaquin Valley, California

Event narrative

Pre-frontal gusty wind led to localized areas of very low visibility in blowing dust 3 miles east of Hanford in Kings County. A multi-vehicle accident involved 15 cars and 1 tractor-trailer rig with an estimated 8 injuries, but no fatalities. The blowing dust episode was very short-lived and localized as rain began around 1530 PDT. In the Kern County area late in the afternoon wind at Meadows Field was measured at 38 MPH with reports of downed powerlines and reports of crashes on rain-slickened roads. Over 20 weather-related reports were received by the Kern County Fire Department but no official damage assessment was noted.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5668451. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.