Dust Storm — Moses Lake Area, Washington

2021-04-13 · Moses Lake Area, Washington

Event narrative

A National Weather Service employee reported blowing dust south of Othello, on State Route 24, with near zero visibility. There were reports from Washington State Patrol of blowing dust across I-90 near Warden and Moses Lake. There were no reports of accidents or injuries.

Wider weather episode

A shortwave trough's arrival led to tightening pressure gradients and gusty winds in eastern Washington on April 13th. Daytime winds reached gusts in the range of 30-40 mph across the Waterville Plateau, Moses Lake Area, and Upper Columbia Basin. Fields were in the season where top soil is more easily blown around, drought conditions persist, and little recent rainfall across this area. These conditions, with the strong winds, led to widespread blowing dust across the Columbia Basin.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 954707. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.