Dust storms blowing through the Columbia Basin
There will be a dust storm advisory throughout the Columbia Basin Friday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. which may cause reduced visibility for drivers, according to the U.S. National Weather Service Spokane. Last Sunday, there was a dust storm which caused a six-vehicle collision according to the Washington State Patrol.
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A map of where the wind gusts are expected Friday afternoon. Wind is likely to pick up dust and cause limited visibility for drivers.
MOSES LAKE — The National Weather Service’s Spokane office released a blowing dust advisory for 2 to 7 p.m. Friday for the Columbia Basin. The storm is the result of a cold front on the Gulf of Alaska, according to NWS meteorologist Steve Bodnar.
“We're going to have the persistent gusts,” Bodnar said. “It will not be as strong as what we saw Sunday, but still strong enough that all the wind speeds that we could get blows dust and may make it difficult for people to see when driving.”
Cities impacted include Moses Lake, Quincy, Ephrata, Grand Coulee, Ritzville, Coulee City, Othello, Harrington, Fairfield, Cheney, Wilbur, Airway Heights, Waterville, Mansfield, Spokane Valley, Downtown Spokane, Creston, Odessa, Rockford, Davenport and Badger Mountain Road.
“It's challenging to forecast blowing dust exactly where, where it's going to be exactly like which mile markers would be impacted by the winds,” Bodnar said.
The visibility between one-quarter and one mile in blowing dust is to be expected. There will be continued southwest-to-west winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour with potential gusts at 30 to 40 miles per hour, according to the NWS release. The winds will be southwest, where last Sunday’s storm was west then northwest, according to Bodnar.
This could lead to hazardous driving conditions due to reduced visibility. Last weekend’s dust storms caused multiple accidents in Eastern Washington, including a six-car pileup.
“So, the main thing is just, if you do notice blowing dust and you're traveling across the Columbia Basin, you want to slow down,” Bodnar said. “Just kind of identify what kind of abilities you may be encountering. I can't really tell people when to stop (driving), but when they don't feel comfortable and visibility gets, I'd say closer to a quarter mile or less, then the guidance for blowing dust if you do need to pull over, they say you should turn off your lights, turn on your hazards, if you're pulled off the side of the road.”
Bodnar said if someone’s lights or hazards are on during a dust storm, another car may see those lights and drive towards the parked cars lights and collide with the parked car.
Over the rest of the weekend, winds will calm down sitting at around five to ten miles per hour, he said.
Bodnar explained that there may be limited visibility for meteorologists during the dust storm because of cloud coverage. However, the Washington State Department of Transportation will be posting updates on travel conditions. The Spokane NWS office will also post any updates they can.
“From the Weather Service, there may be cloud cover though tomorrow with the front coming through that could make it challenging for us to actually see the dust,” Bodnar said. “So, if folks do encounter dust and want to report it to us that would help us out being able to see it, especially if it's cloudy.”
Bodnar said that people can notify the weather service of any dust storms by messaging them on Facebook or calling 509-244-0110.
“Stay safe on the roads and once again slow down if you need to,” Bodnar said.
A map of where the wind gusts are expected Friday afternoon. Wind is likely to pick up dust and cause limited visibility for drivers.