Dust Storm — Central Deserts, Arizona

2015-08-23 · Central Deserts, Arizona

Event narrative

Thunderstorms developed across portions of south central Arizona during the evening hours on August 23rd, and the stronger storms produced gusty outflow winds in excess of 45 mph. The strong winds stirred up significant amounts of dust, leading to dust storm conditions across the central deserts. Some areas that were especially impacted by the sharply reduced visibilities included the towns of Stanfield and Casa Grande as well as the Interstate 10 corridor. According to a storm chaser, at 1927MST visibility dropped to one quarter mile 4 miles south of Stanfield in a dust storm. A Dust Storm Warning was in effect for the area at the time of the report.

Wider weather episode

Scattered thunderstorms developed over portions of south central Arizona during the evening hours on August 23rd. The stronger storms generated gusty outflow winds up to 45 mph in strength, and the outflow winds stirred up significant amounts of dust leading to sharply reduced visibilities and dust storm conditions. A Dust Storm Warning was issued for the central deserts beginning at 1922MST and continuing until 2025MST. Some areas that were especially impacted included the town of Casa Grande, Stanfield, and the Interstate 10 corridor. No accidents or injuries were reported due to the dense blowing dust.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 591776. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.