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Cold front brings dust storms to Valley
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Powerful winds kick up dust along Hunt Highway in Chandler. Oct. 27, 2009.
Thomas Boggan, Tribune
A strong cold front pushing into the Valley late Tuesday afternoon kicked up dust storms and is expected to drive temperatures down nearly 20 degrees below normal by Wednesday.
“It’s going to be noticeably colder,” said Doug Green, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Phoenix office. “I think almost anyone would notice it.”
A low pressure system blowing in from the Gulf of Alaska is expected to drive temperatures at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport down from Tuesday’s high of 84 degrees to 64 degrees on Wednesday. That’s 19 degrees below the normal average high of 83 degrees and would match a record set in 1911.
Wind gusts were expected to be as strong as 35 mph Tuesday, Green said.
“So this is a wind-maker,” he added.
The National Weather Service issued a blowing dust advisory Tuesday afternoon for southwest Maricopa County and Pinal County, but an official there said visibility was poor in many other areas of the Valley, as well.
“Chandler Airport had visibility down to a half-mile about (3:15 p.m.),” said meteorologist Jaret Rogers.
A blowing dust advisory is issued when visibility is expected to be between one-quarter of a mile and one mile.
Utility companies said they don’t expect any problems.
“Winds are what we deal with very often in the summer months,” said Jeff Lane, a spokesman with Salt River Project. “Sometimes those winds during a microburst type of an event are considerably higher than 35 mph.”
Alan Bunnell, an Arizona Public Service spokesman, said it takes gusts a lot higher than 35 mph to create havoc.
“It’s when you get those unexpected wind gusts and monsoon storms where it’s pushing 65 to 70 (mph),” he said. “That’s really when you start having some problems.”
Green said the forecast for Wednesday calls for sustained winds of 10 to 20 mph and wind gusts of 25 to 30 mph.
“Thursday will remain cold but not as much wind,” he added. “We’re forecasting a high of 66 (degrees) on Thursday.
That’s 16 degrees below normal.
“That’s still pretty cold,” he said.
Friday’s high should hit 74 degrees, seven degrees below normal.
Saturday, which is Halloween, is expected to reach normal levels of 82 degrees.
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