TOPEKA, Kan. — A sudden gust sweeping over dry soil can stir up enough dirt and dust to reduce visibility to almost nothing, creating a dangerous situation for drivers as the dust storm appears without warning.
Last week, such conditions on Interstate 70 in western Kansas led to a tragic pileup involving numerous cars and trucks, resulting in the loss of eight lives. Similarly, New Mexico’s Department of Transportation was compelled to shut down a 130-mile stretch of highway from the Arizona border to near Las Cruces due to impaired visibility caused by blinding dust.
The skies, shrouded in dust, invoke memories of the infamous “Dust Bowl” of the 1930s, when colossal amounts of soil blanketed farms and towns throughout the Great Plains. While smaller-scale storms occur annually—particularly in the western U.S. during spring planting delays—many experts express concern that drivers don’t fully appreciate the seriousness of these dust storms.
“Public awareness regarding dust storms and their potential for causing harm is notably low,” stated Daniel Tong, a George Mason University associate professor of atmospheric chemistry and co-author of a 2023 study on dust storm-related fatalities.
Dust storms are notorious for causing deadly accidents, as demonstrated by historical events. The High Plains Museum in Goodland showcases a photograph from the 1930s of a tractor submerged in soil, reflecting the severe drought and its consequences following the destruction of native grasses by farming.
The recent fatalities near Goodland marked the region’s first dust storm-related deaths since 2014, according to Jeremy Martin, the meteorologist in charge at the Weather Service there. The event occurred mere weeks after a deadly 11-car collision on I-10, attributed to dense dust, as reported by Albuquerque’s KRQE. Likewise, a dust storm in 2023 on I-55 between St. Louis and Springfield, Illinois, resulted in a fatal multi-vehicle crash.
In 1991, a devastating accident occurred on I-5 in California’s San Joaquin Valley, where blowing dust led to the deaths of 17 people in a crash involving more than 100 vehicles. Tong and his collaborators, in a 2023 publication in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, identified 232 deaths from “windblown dust events” between 2007 and 2017—a figure significantly higher than that recorded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data.
A cold front contributed to dust blowing through western Kansas. Martin described how warm, dry weather persisted for hours before a cold front moved in, causing winds of up to 70 miles per hour to stir up dust, which then got trapped in the cold front. “That’s when you see that typical wall of dust,” Martin explained.
The reduction in visibility prompted drivers to slow down, which led to collisions, according to authorities. Preliminary investigations revealed that 71 vehicles were caught in the pileup, noted Kansas Highway Patrol spokesperson April McCollum. Aerial images indicated that at least ten of these vehicles were semis.
“It was difficult to keep your eyes open due to the density of dust in the air,” Martin recounted. “Breathing in those conditions was almost physically painful.” Similar conditions in eastern Colorado prompted the State Patrol there to issue alerts for drivers about “zero visibility due to high winds and blowing dirt.”
“Visibility was reduced to nothing,” commented Jerry Burkhart, the chief of fire and emergency services in Lamar, Colorado. “The best recourse is to park far from the road, in a parking lot if possible.”
Besides poor visibility, dust storms pose other hazards. Martin pointed out that from a distance, it’s challenging to gauge dust thickness, often leading drivers into zero visibility situations unknowingly. According to weather forecasters, the typical advice for driving in a dust storm might go against instinct. Michael Anand, a meteorologist in Albuquerque, advised motorists to exit the road safely, turn off lights, and avoid using high beams.
“It prevents people behind you from assuming you’re still on the road,” Martin clarified. “Tail lights might be the only visible cue, misleading others to believe the road curves.” Dust storms also complicate vehicle control, creating slick surfaces and slowing braking response, which can unsettle drivers, Tong mentioned.
Tol argued that dust storms’ frequency and expansiveness across the U.S. necessitate integrating dust storm response into driver’s license exams as an educational measure. “It’s an effective way to increase awareness among drivers,” he suggested.