Dust Storm — Upper Columbia Basin, Washington

2020-04-11 · Upper Columbia Basin, Washington

Event narrative

Washington State Patrol reported a multi-vehicle accident occurred on Interstate 90, 11 miles west of Ritzville. The strong winds resulted in near zero visibility due to the blowing dust. This resulted in a five vehicle accident and 9 non-life threatening injuries. The collision resulted in a subsequent closure of the Interstate for numerous hours following the event.

Wider weather episode

The arrival of a strong cold front brought an abrupt change in weather with strong north winds gusting up to 50 mph on April 11th. The winds channeled down the Okanogan Valley into the Columbia Basin creating areas of blowing dust and localized visibility reductions. The strong winds and blowing dust lead to a multiple car crash on Interstate 90 and numerous power outages in the Basin.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 888544. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.