Dust Storm — Lower Colorado River Valley, California

2016-07-30 · Lower Colorado River Valley, California

Event narrative

Gusty outflow winds, triggered by convection that occurred earlier in the night over western Arizona, moved through the lower Colorado River valley early in the morning hours on July 30th. The winds, gusting in excess of 40 mph at times, stirred up dense amounts of blowing dust and sand and created dust storm conditions that affected locations such as Blythe California. At 0011MST, a trained weather spotter 1 mile northwest of Blythe reported visibility down to one quarter of a mile in a dust storm. A Dust Storm Warning was not in effect at the time of the report.

Wider weather episode

Persistent gusty outflow winds triggered by earlier convection across portions of western Arizona moved across the lower Colorado River valley shortly after midnight and into the early morning hours on July 30th. The gusty winds, in excess of 40 mph at times, stirred up significant amounts of dense blowing dust and sand, sufficient to create dust storm conditions. Trained weather spotters near the town of Blythe California reported visibility down to one quarter of a mile shortly after midnight. No accidents or injuries were reported due to the dense blowing dust.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 646271. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.