Dust Storm — Washington Palouse, Washington

2020-05-02 · Washington Palouse, Washington

Event narrative

A local TV news reporter observed less than 1/2 mile visibility in Saint John, Washington from blowing dust.

Wider weather episode

The passage of a strong cold front brought a line of convection and strong winds in the afternoon and early evening of May 2nd. The fast moving front tracked from the southwest and moved out of northeastern Washington by the mid-evening hours. The outflow boundary produced numerous dust storms ahead of the thunderstorms in far eastern Washington and Columbia Basin. Sustained winds of 25-30 mph with gusts to 40-55 mph created near to zero visibility from the blowing dust.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 893355. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.