Washington, 2015

Dust Storm in Washington, October 10, 2015

October 10, 2015 · NWS PDT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A strong cold front pushed across the interior pacific northwest that afternoon. Strong winds picked up dust and caused a dust storm across the Lower Columbia Basin of Washington.

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

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PDT wrote it up.

A strong cold front pushed across the interior pacific northwest that afternoon. Strong winds picked up dust and caused a dust storm across the Lower Columbia Basin of Washington. A 13 car pile up with one person injured and one fatality resulted from the dust storm.

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, Lower Columbia Basin

When
October 10, 6:00 PM PST to 6:45 PM PST
Where
Lower Columbia Basin forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
46.220, -119.419 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Dust Storm, Lower Columbia Basin2015-10-10Vehicle/Towed TrailerDirect

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 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, October 2015

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: 605635.