During the afternoon of Sunday, April 10, strong southerly winds developed across Arkansas into southeast Missouri. Some of the highest wind gusts were around 45 mph. The peak wind gust at the Poplar Bluff, Missouri airport was 46 mph.
The gusty winds kicked up large amounts of dust and dirt from freshly plowed farm fields in the agricultural flatlands of the Mississippi River delta. Visibility was reduced to four or five miles from the Poplar Bluff area eastward to the Mississippi River.
Further south across the bootheel of Missouri and northeast Arkansas, visibility was locally one-quarter mile. The National Weather Service office in Memphis issued a Dust Storm Warning. A number of accidents were reported on Interstate 55 due to the poor visibility.
This traffic camera image, courtesy of the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDot), shows hazy conditions along the upper part of the photograph. This hazy look is likely associated with blowing dust carried on southerly winds gusting 40 to 50 mph at times. This photo was taken near Hayti in the Missouri bootheel.
The following is the text of the Dust Storm Warning from the Memphis office:
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 200 PM CDT SUN APR 10 2016 ...STRONG WINDS ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE MIDSOUTH TODAY... .A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL CONTINUE TO RESULT IN STRONG WINDS ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE MID SOUTH. IN ADDITION...DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE DELTA REGION IS RESULTING IN BLOWING DUST WHICH IS REDUCING VISIBILITIES AND CREATING DANGEROUS TRAVEL IN SOME LOCATIONS...ESPECIALLY FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. ARZ008-009-017-018-110200- /O.UPG.KMEG.DU.Y.0001.000000T0000Z-160411T0200Z/ /O.NEW.KMEG.DS.W.0001.160410T1900Z-160411T0200Z/ /O.CON.KMEG.WI.Y.0009.000000T0000Z-160411T0200Z/ RANDOLPH-CLAY-LAWRENCE-GREENE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...POCAHONTAS...PIGGOTT...CORNING... WALNUT RIDGE...PARAGOULD 200 PM CDT SUN APR 10 2016 ...DUST STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING... ...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A DUST STORM WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING. THE BLOWING DUST ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. * WINDS...SOUTH WINDS SUSTAINED AROUND 35 MPH...WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH. * VISIBILITY...WIDESPREAD REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITIES BELOW ONE QUARTER OF A MILE. * TIMING...THROUGH 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING. * IMPACTS...LOOSE OUTDOOR ITEMS WILL BE SUBJECT TO BLOWING AROUND BY THE WIND AND DRIVING ON EAST TO WEST ROADS WILL BECOME HAZARDOUS...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. IN AREAS WHERE VISIBILITIES ARE RESTRICTED IN BLOWING DUST... HAZARDOUS TRAVEL WILL OCCUR. USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN ENCOUNTERING REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN DUST. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A DUST STORM WARNING MEANS SEVERELY LIMITED VISIBILITIES ARE EXPECTED WITH BLOWING DUST. TRAVEL COULD BECOME EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. PERSONS WITH RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS SHOULD MAKE PREPARATIONS TO STAY INDOORS UNTIL THE STORM PASSES. A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 39 MPH ARE EXPECTED...OR GUSTS WILL RANGE BETWEEN 40 AND 57 MPH. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION. && $$ ARZ026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ007-010-110200- /O.CON.KMEG.DU.Y.0001.000000T0000Z-160411T0200Z/ /O.CON.KMEG.WI.Y.0009.000000T0000Z-160411T0200Z/ CRAIGHEAD-POINSETT-MISSISSIPPI-CROSS-CRITTENDEN-ST. FRANCIS- LEE AR-PHILLIPS-DUNKLIN-PEMISCOT-TUNICA-COAHOMA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...JONESBORO...HARRISBURG...BLYTHEVILLE... WYNNE...WEST MEMPHIS...FORREST CITY...MARIANNA...HELENA... WEST HELENA...KENNETT...CARUTHERSVILLE...TUNICA...CLARKSDALE 200 PM CDT SUN APR 10 2016 ...BLOWING DUST ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING... ...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * WINDS...SOUTH WINDS SUSTAINED AT 25 TO 35 MPH...WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH. * VISIBILITY...WIDESPREAD REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITIES BELOW 1 MILE...WITH LOCALIZED AREAS DOWN TO ONE QUARTER OF A MILE AT TIMES. * TIMING...THROUGH 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING. * IMPACTS...LOOSE OUTDOOR ITEMS WILL BE SUBJECT TO BLOWING AROUND BY THE WIND AND DRIVING ON EAST TO WEST ROADS WILL BECOME HAZARDOUS...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. IN AREAS WHERE VISIBILITIES ARE RESTRICTED IN BLOWING DUST... HAZARDOUS TRAVEL WILL OCCUR. USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN ENCOUNTERING REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN DUST. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 39 MPH ARE EXPECTED...OR GUSTS WILL RANGE BETWEEN 40 AND 57 MPH. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION. A BLOWING DUST ADVISORY MEANS THAT BLOWING DUST WILL RESTRICT VISIBILITIES. TRAVELERS ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION. && $$
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