Kansas, 2025

Dust Storm and High Wind in Kansas, April 21, 2025

April 21, 2025 · NWS GLD · 2 events in 1 county or zone

In the late afternoon of the 21st, a cold front moved into northwestern Kansas from the northwest. A brief 58 MPH gust was observed at the Atwood, KS AWOS.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 GLD wrote it up.

In the late afternoon of the 21st, a cold front moved into northwestern Kansas from the northwest. A brief 58 MPH gust was observed at the Atwood, KS AWOS. Meanwhile scattered showers developed. Most of the rain from these showers evaporated before reaching the ground. This caused brief, sporadic wind gusts to occur under these showers. The dry ground allowed blowing dust to occur with many of these sporadic wind gusts.

The radar

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

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Event by event

1 dust storm, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Dust Storm, Rawlins

When
April 21, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Rawlins forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
39.785, -101.076 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public reported brownout conditions between Atwood and the state line.

High Wind, Rawlins

When
April 21, 7:30 PM CST to 8:10 PM CST
Where
Rawlins forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
39.785, -101.076 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Atwood AWOS recorded a gust of 58 MPH as the front went through. Patchy blowing dust was reported, but no significant reports of blowing dust were passed along.

What these are

Dust Storm
Blowing dust that reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less.
High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, April 2025

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: 1245030, 1241104.