National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Thunderstorms; Excessive Rainfall; Dangerous Heat; Air Quality Concerns

Canadian wildfire smoke will push into the Midwest, worsening air quality. A frontal system brings severe storms from the Northern Plains to the Mid‑Atlantic the next few days. Heavy Gulf Coast rain is possible as we closely monitor tropical development, while monsoonal storms persist in the Southwest with heavy rainfall. Hazardous heat expands from the Plains into the Lower Mississippi Valley. 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