Washington, 2001

Dust Storm in Washington, September 25, 2001

September 25, 2001 · NWS OTX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

An unusual dust storm swept across eastern Washington 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; 5 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 across eastern Washington 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. During the peak of the dust storm around 400 PM PDT, the Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority reported PM10 (larger particulate matter) values of 3290 micrograms per cubic meter. This compares to normal values of under 50 micrograms per cubic meter. Visibilities of two miles or less affected widespread areas. The following is a rundown of minimum visibilities reported at ASOS sites: Spokane International...1 mile, Spokane Felts...1 mile, Pullman-Moscow...2 miles, and Deer Park...1 mile (variable from 1/4 to 5 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, 8:00 AM PST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 25, 8:00 AM PST, 3 hours before
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON
900 AM PDT TUE SEP 25 2001

A DYNAMIC UPPER LEVEL LOW IS CURRENTLY MOVING NORTHWARD THROUGH
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. STRATIFORM CLOUDS/RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOW
ARE NOW OVER CENTRAL OREGON WITH SOME MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS
STARTING TO MOVE INTO WASHINGTON. AS THIS LOW MOVES THROUGH EASTERN
WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IT WILL BRING
SHOWERS...THUNDERSTORMS AND WINDY CONDITIONS TO THE AREA. IN ADDITION
TO SHOWERS AND WIND...TEMPERATURES WILL BE MUCH COOLER THE NEXT FEW
DAYS. THIS LOW IS MOVING RAPIDLY SO IT SHOULD BE NORTHEAST OF THE
AREA BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. ANOTHER TROUGH IS THEN FORECAST TO MOVE
ONTO THE WASHINGTON COAST WEDNESDAY MORNING AND MOVE EASTWARD THROUGH
THE DAY. THIS WILL CONTINUE THE THREAT OF SHOWERS INTO WEDNESDAY. CC

...THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRODUCT CONCERNING WARNINGS AND FORECASTS
IS VALID ONLY AT THE TIME OF ISSUANCE. THE LATEST WARNING AND
FORECAST INFORMATION WILL BE FOUND IN THE APPROPRIATE PRODUCTS...

GEG 079/049/068/045/071 25120
COE 078/048/067/044/070 25120
PUW 077/046/066/042/069 35110
LWS 080/053/074/047/076 35100
CQV 084/048/070/042/074 26330
SPT 080/049/067/043/071 16430
WWP 077/047/066/041/068 26120
EAT 078/050/070/046/072 23120
MWH 077/047/072/042/074 33110

.KOTX...NONE.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Dust Storm, Lower Garfield & Asotin

When
September 25, 11:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Lower Garfield & Asotin forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
46.312, -117.374 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dust Storm, Spokane Area

When
September 25, 11:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Spokane Area forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.599, -117.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dust Storm, Northeast Mountains

When
September 25, 11:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Northeast Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.184, -117.511 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dust Storm, Washington Palouse

When
September 25, 11:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Washington Palouse forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.261, -117.463 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dust Storm, Upper Columbia Basin

When
September 25, 11:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Upper Columbia Basin forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.610, -119.173 (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 Washington in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, 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: 5268600, 5268601, 5268723, 5268724, 5268725.