California, 1998

Dust Storm in California, September 9, 1998

September 9, 1998 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 dust storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
4
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Dust Storm, C Riverside

When
September 9, 3:50 PM PST to 4:30 PM PST
Where
C Riverside forecast zone
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A severe thunderstorm moving through the eastern part of Riverside County, generated a gust front that moved through southeastern portions of the Coachella Valley. Winds gusting to at least 35 mph picked up considerable amounts of dust and sand, reducing visibility to near zero for a short time. At the same time 8 vehicles were involved in a chain-reaction accident on Highway 86 in Mecca. Four people were injured seriously and required hospitalization.

What these are

Dust Storm
Blowing dust that reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in California, September 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5666843.