Idaho, 2001

Dust Storm in Idaho, September 25, 2001

September 25, 2001 · NWS OTX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

An unusual dust storm swept from eastern Washington into parts of the Idaho panhandle late on the afternoon of September 25. The combination of an extended drought, freshly plowed fields from the August wheat harvest, and a dry cold front containing wind gusts of 35 to 40 miles an hour led to the widespread dust storm.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS OTX wrote it up.

An unusual dust storm swept from eastern Washington into parts of the Idaho panhandle late on the afternoon of September 25. The combination of an extended drought, freshly plowed fields from the August wheat harvest, and a dry cold front containing wind gusts of 35 to 40 miles an hour led to the widespread dust storm. Visibilities of two miles or less affected widespread areas. The following is a rundown of minimum visibilities reported at ASOS sites: Lewiston...1 mile (variable from 1/2 to 2 miles), Coeur D'Alene...1 mile, and Pullman-Moscow...2 miles. Light rain on the evening of the 25th knocked most of the dust from the air.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 25, 1:30 PM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 25, 1:30 PM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Dust Storm, Sw & W Kootenai

When
September 25, 3:00 PM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
Sw & W Kootenai forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.675, -116.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dust Storm, W Benewah/W Latah

When
September 25, 3:00 PM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
W Benewah/W Latah forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.017, -116.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dust Storm, N Nez Perce County

When
September 25, 3:00 PM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
N Nez Perce County forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
46.327, -116.750 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 Idaho in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, September 2001

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: 5268597, 5268598, 5268599.