Dust Storm — Washington Palouse, Washington

2020-04-27 · Washington Palouse, Washington

Event narrative

Washington State Patrol reported that State Route 26 in southwest Whitman County was fully blocked three miles west of Dusty, Washington. An accident involving a semi-truck and two cars occurred due to near zero visibility from blowing dust. There were no injuries. The highway was closed for six hours due to the dust storm.

Wider weather episode

The passage of a cold front produced gusty winds across much of the eastern half of Washington on April 27th. Sustained winds of 25-30 mph with gusts of 40-50 mph were common in areas such as the Palouse, Columbia Basin, West Plains, and Wenatchee Area. The winds produced areas blowing dust with localized visibility reductions in portions of central and eastern Washington.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 888539. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.