Name: Dust Storm in Arizona, January 6, 2003
Start: 2003-01-06T15:45
End: 2003-01-06T16:30
Location: Arizona

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 4
Property damage: $32,000
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS TWC wrote it up.

High pressure was building over the west coast on the 5th of January, as a low pressure system was moving over the Four Corners region. The tightened pressure gradients between the two systems created strong winds across Southeast Arizona with sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. These strong winds also caused dust storms in areas prone to blowing dust, especially along Interstate 10 between Benson and San Simon. Two different accidents occurred during the 6th in Cochise county which resulted in deaths of a child and an infant.

Event by event

1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Dust Storm, Cochise County

When: January 6, 3:45 PM MST to 4:30 PM MST
Where: Cochise County forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $32,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Strong winds throughout the day caused another accident due to blowing dust on Interstate 10 around 4:15 pm MST. This accident, which was a result of reduced visibilities, caused a 3 vehicle pile up on Grant Road, 10 miles north of Willcox. This tragic accident caused the fatality of a 5 year old girl, as well as 4 minor injuries.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Dust Storm, Cochise County	2003-01-06	5	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

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 Arizona in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, January 2003

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5341555.