A sudden increase in winds with gusts to near 40 mph led to a dust storm on Interstate 90 at milepost 196. Low visibilities in the dust storm contributed to a multi vehicle accident involving five vehicles that were all totaled, along with seven indirect injuries.
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.
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 episode as NWS OTX wrote it up.
A sudden increase in winds with gusts to near 40 mph led to a dust storm on Interstate 90 at milepost 196. Low visibilities in the dust storm contributed to a multi vehicle accident involving five vehicles that were all totaled, along with seven indirect injuries. Several road and highway closure resulted from the dust storm.
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 Oct 3, 10:03 PM PST, 57 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 611 AM PDT SAT OCT 3 2009 IDZ001-002-WAZ034>036-041400- NORTHERN PANHANDLE-COEUR DALENE AREA-MOSES LAKE AREA- UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN-SPOKANE AREA- 611 AM PDT SAT OCT 3 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH IDAHO... EAST CENTRAL WASHINGTON AND NORTHEAST WASHINGTON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINDY CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY. SUSTAINED NORTHEAST WINDS OF 25 TO 30 MPH WILL BE LIKELY WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH. SOME OF THE STRONGEST GUSTS ARE EXPECTED IN THE SANDPOINT...RATHDRUM...AND COEUR DALENE AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WINDY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY SUBSIDE BY EARLY SUNDAY EVENING. IDZ003-004-026-027-WAZ031>033-037-038-041>044-041400- IDAHO PALOUSE-CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS-LEWISTON AREA- LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES-NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS- LOWER GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES-WASHINGTON PALOUSE- NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS-OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS-WENATCHEE AREA- EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-OKANOGAN VALLEY-WATERVILLE PLATEAU- 611 AM PDT SAT OCT 3 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH IDAHO... NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...CENTRAL WASHINGTON...NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON...NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE IDAHO PANHANDLE AND EASTERN WASHINGTON THIS EVENING. GUSTS BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS...THE OKANOGAN VALLEY... AND OVER THE PALOUSE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY SUBSIDE BY EARLY SUNDAY EVENING.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, October 2009
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: 200133.