Dust Storm in Arizona
Every dust storm event the National Weather Service has filed in Arizona, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Blowing dust that reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less.
The most significant on the map
The most significant dust storm episodes in Arizona.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 764
- Deaths
- 22
- Injuries
- 265
- Damage
- $4.3 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Arizona, August 1 to 17, 1997Heavy rain from thunderstorms sent a one foot wall of water down a dry wash at Harrison Road and Pantano in far eastern Tucson preventing traffic from crossing.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Arizona, September 25 to 27, 2025A slow-moving low pressure system brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms over multiple days through much of the region. Activity on the 25th was mostly concentrated across higher terrain areas of eastern AZ, fueled by MLCAPE values approaching 2000 J/kg.
- Dust Storm in Arizona, March 1, 2025A potent low pressure system moved through the Desert Southwest, generating strong winds across much of the region. Peak afternoon and early evening wind gusts upwards of 25-40 mph out of the south were observed across much of south-central AZ.
- Dust Storm in Arizona, October 29, 2013A trough of low pressure was located over central Nevada with a strong pressure gradient over Arizona. Strong southwest winds occurred ahead of the extremely dry cold front and produced areas of blowing dust.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Arizona, July 5 to 29, 1999Three U.S. Forest Service firefighters were stunned or paralyzed for a few minutes as lightning hit the ground near them. They also suffered some burns on the feet and shoulders.
- Dust Storm in Arizona, December 22, 2009Winds increased in advance of a cold front and picked up considerable dust and soil from a field adjacent to Interstate 10 in Casa Grande.
- Flash Flooding and Dust Storm in Arizona, August 13 to 14, 2021A classic bow echo developed along the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona around 1900MST on the 13th and merged with thunderstorm clusters that developed in south-central Arizona around 2030MST to form one southwestward-moving MCS that progressed all the way to the town of Yuma in…
- Dust Storm in Arizona, February 15, 2006Near zero visibility due to blowing dust, also described as a temporary blackout, contributed to two traffic pileups on a stretch of Interstate 8 west of Casa Grande.
- Dust Storm in Arizona, January 6, 2003Strong winds caused a dust storm around 10:40 am along Interstate 10 near San Simon. The near zero visibilities caused an eight vehicle pile up on westbound Interstate 10 at mile post 371.8 near San Simon.
- Dust Storm in Arizona, November 28, 2009A strong low pressure system in southern California produced strong south winds across southeast Arizona. The winds remained below wind advisory criteria, averaging 20 to 30 mph and gusting to near 40 mph on the higher terrain.
- Dust Storm in Arizona, October 4, 2011Strong low pressure tracked through the desert Southwest resulting in strong southwest winds across southern Arizona. As a result, several localized dust storms occurred. One of these caused a fatal accident on Interstate 10.
- Flash Flooding and Dust Storm in Arizona, July 12 to 16, 2012A strong push of monsoon moisture fueled a five-day outbreak of thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin. Numerous storms produced flash flooding and/or severe weather.
- Dust Storm and Hail in Arizona, July 7 to 10, 1997Thunderstorm winds downed several power lines, blew a stoplight down, snapped a 30-foot Palm tree in half, and split a 15-foot high tree in two.
- Dust Storm in Arizona, August 25, 2011Thunderstorm winds produced an area of blowing dust across southern Pinal County that resulted in a deadly traffic accident.
- Flash Flooding and Dust Storm in Arizona, July 28 to 31, 2022The stormy period which began on the 24th continued to bring severe weather and flash flooding through the end of the month.
- Dust Storm in Arizona, August 15, 2016Thunderstorms developed across portions of La Paz county during the middle of the afternoon on August 15th; due to limited moisture and very hot temperatures the storms generated strong and gusty outflow winds as high as 40 mph.
- Flood and Dust Storm in Arizona, August 22 to 23, 2024Thunderstorm activity developed across much of eastern AZ, along the higher terrain features, during the early afternoon hours. Outflow boundaries emanating from the activity over the higher terrain areas sparked a complex of robust thunderstorms over Pinal County.
- Dust Storm in Arizona, January 6, 2003High pressure was building over the west coast on the 5th of January, as a low pressure system was moving over the Four Corners region.
- Dust Storm and Damaging Winds in Arizona, July 5, 2011Strong to severe thunderstorm development had occured in the early afternoon hours of July 5th near the Tucson, AZ area and east of Tucson.
- Dust Storm and Damaging Winds in Arizona, July 14, 2002Near zero visibility with blowing dust and sand spread across a wde area of northwest Pinal County. Southerly winds reached as high as 45 to 50 mph.
- Dust Storm in Arizona, May 2, 2010An intense storm system passed through the Four Corners region on May 2. An increase in pressure gradients resulted in strong winds and areas of blowing dust across southeast Arizona.
- Tornado and Dust Storm in Arizona, September 23, 2019An upper level low and tropical moisture created favorable conditions for severe weather with isolated to scattered storms forming during the evening mainly from Tucson eastward.
- Dust Storm and Damaging Winds in Arizona, July 17, 2022Mid-level flow of 25-30 kts and divergence aloft combined with sufficient MLCAPE of greater than 1000 J/kg to result in an environment favorable for the development of organized severe thunderstorms.
- Dust Storm in Arizona, April 12, 2018A large area of low pressure over the desert southwest led to strong and gusty southwest to west winds during the afternoon hours on April 12th.
- Dust Storm and Lightning Strike in Arizona, September 27, 2011Showers and thunderstorms produced strong winds across Arizona. These strong winds interacted with very dry soils resulting in isolated dust storms.
More
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.