Dust Storm — Washington Palouse, Washington

2020-05-06 · Washington Palouse, Washington

Event narrative

A member of the public reported blowing dust and strong winds between Colfax and Pullman along US-195. The visibility was estimated to be less than 1 mile.

Wider weather episode

The passage of a strong cold front brought a line of strong winds in the early morning of May 6th. The winds surged north-northeast with the front impacting much of eastern Washington, Columbia Basin, and eastern Cascade Mountain slopes. This produced a dust storm and wind damage from the sudden, but short lived burst of strong winds. Sustained winds of 25-30 mph with gusts to 40-55 mph created less than one mile visibility from the blowing dust.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 895310. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.