Dust Storm — Greater Phoenix Area, Arizona

2016-08-20 · Greater Phoenix Area, Arizona

Event narrative

Thunderstorms developed across portions of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area during the late afternoon hours on August 20th and they generated gusty outflow winds in excess of 40 mph. The strong wind stirred up dense blowing dust, creating dust storm conditions that affected the far southeastern portion of the greater Phoenix area. At 1840MST a trained weather spotter 5 miles northwest of the town of Sun Lakes reported visibility down to less than 100 feet in a dust storm. The dense blowing dust created very hazardous driving conditions for motorists in and around Sun Lakes. Fortunately there were no reports of accidents or injuries due to the dust storm.

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 647643. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.