Dust Storm — Central Deserts, Arizona

2016-08-20 · Central Deserts, Arizona

Event narrative

Strong thunderstorms affected south central Arizona during the late afternoon hours on August 20th, and they produced gusty outflow winds across Pinal county that were in excess of 40 mph. The winds stirred up large amounts of dust and created dust storm conditions that impacted towns such as Maricopa, Sacaton and Casa Grande. At 1945MST a trained weather spotter 2 miles southeast of the town of Maricopa reported visibility below one quarter of a mile in a dust storm. The dense blowing dust resulted in very hazardous driving conditions for motorists, especially those driving on Interstate 10. A Dust Storm Warning was issued for the area starting at 1841MST and continuing through 2000MST.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms developed across portions of south-central Arizona during the evening hours on August 20th, and some of them generated gusty outflow winds in excess of 40 mph. The strong winds stirred up large amounts of dust and created sharply restricted visibility which primarily affected areas to the southeast of central Phoenix. Communities such as Maricopa and Sun Lakes were especially affected by the dust storm which lowered visibility to near zero miles for a short time. Fortunately there were no accidents or injuries reported due to the dense blowing dust. A Dust Storm Warning was issued for the central deserts beginning at 1841MST and continuing through 2000MST.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 647642. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.