Dust Storm — Southwest Deserts, Arizona

2016-08-19 · Southwest Deserts, Arizona

Event narrative

Thunderstorms developed across portions of the southwest deserts during the late evening hours on August 19th, the stronger storms generated gusty outflow winds that reached as high as 40 mph. The gusty wind picked up large amounts of dust and generated sharply reduced visibility that spread westward along the Interstate 8 corridor towards Yuma. According to local law enforcement, at 2220MST visibility dropped to zero miles in the town of Wellton due to a dust storm. At 2221MST a Dust Storm Warning was issued as a result and it remained in effect through midnight. No accidents or injuries were reported due to the dust storm.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms developed across portions of southwest Arizona during the late evening hours on August 19th and the stronger storms generated gusty outflow winds that reached as high as 40 mph. The gusty winds spread east and impacted the Interstate 8 corridor, including communities such as Tacna and Wellton. The winds stirred up significant amounts of dust and sand and created dust storm conditions that persisted until nearly midnight. Local law enforcement reported zero visibility in the town of Wellton due to the dust storm. Fortunately, no accidents or injuries were reported.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 647600. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.