National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Thunderstorms in the Northern Plains; Heavy Rainfall in the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys; Critical Fire Weather in the Southwest

Severe thunderstorms, with a significant wind threat, will continue through tonight across the northern Plains. Wind gusts of 60 to 100 mph are possible. Heavy rainfall will continue through tonight from Oklahoma into Missouri, and in the Tennessee Valley through Monday. Critical fire weather conditions continue in the Southwest through Tuesday. Read More >

Overview

On the afternoon of May 12, 2022 strong winds gusting to around 70mph behind a cold front lofted dust into the air. The cloud of dust quickly consolidated into a Dust Storm just behind the front as it pushed across southwest Nebraska. The Dust Storm produced near zero visibility and resulted in multiple vehicle accidents including a multi vehicle pileup on highway 30 near mile marker 160. This memorable event produced many stunning images that will not soon be forgotten!

Image
GOES-East GeoColor satellite image of Dust Storm moving across southwest Nebraska during the afternoon of May 12, 2022.
Image Image Image
Dust storm in progress at 2:26PM MDT in Grant, Nebraska (image courtesy of Lacey Parker via Facebook). Dust cloud approaching the NWS North Platte, Nebraska Weather Forecast Office 4:16PM CDT. Dust Storm in progress at the NWS North Platte, Nebraska Weather Forecast Office 4:27PM CDT.
nws logo Media use of NWS Web News Stories is encouraged!
Please acknowledge the NWS as the source of any news information accessed from this site.
nws logo