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A dust storm warning was sounded for Riverside and San Diego counties in California on August 12. This included Coachella Valley which is in Riverside County. Palm Desert, in Coachella Valley, was among the areas under warning.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued the warning. “At 6:06pm, a dust channel was near Mecca, moving northwest at 25 mph. Parts of Interstate 10 in the Coachella Valley will be impacted by reduced visibility and strong winds,” it stated.
The areas likely to be impacted are – Indio, southeastern Palm Springs, Coachella, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Thermal, Hwy 74 Between Anza And Palm Desert, Hwy S22 Between Borrego Springs And Imperial County Line, La Quinta, Mecca, Indian Wells, Santa Rosa Mountain, Thousand Palms, Bermuda Dunes and Sky Valley.
The NWS further said “Dangerous life-threatening travel. Dust storms lead to dangerous driving conditions with visibility reduced to near zero. If driving, avoid dust storms if possible. If caught in one, pull off the road, turn off your lights and keep your foot off the brake.”
A map of the impacted areas was shared as well.
Dust storm in Coachella Valley: Scary visuals emerge
A video of the dust storm was shared by NBC Palm Springs. “Storm activity is moving west from the Coachella area, with strong winds, blowing dust and thunderstorms possible across the Valley. These images from Coachella show the storm pushing west — and conditions can change quickly,” they noted.
Meanwhile, Desert Sun shared a photo and reported “Drivers could face near-zero visibility and winds above 40 mph, especially along the I-10, as a dust storm moves through the valley.”
One person sharing a set of photos wrote “Coming down the S22 toward the Salton Sea, I got a front-row seat to a haboob (a giant, towering dust storm created by thunderstorm outflow winds). The scale of it was incredible, an absolute monster of a storm. The last photos I managed to grab were overlooking Tectonic Wash off the S22 before this thing surged forward. I had to run back to my car just to protect my gear from the wall of dust and sand. Once it overtook me, it actually pushed the car around a bit, and visibility dropped to absolute zero for a few seconds. After it settled just enough, I carefully crept back onto the road and slowly made my way home. What an unforgettable ride!,” noting they were in Southern California.
Another alleged video was shared but it could not be confirmed if this was in California.
“My friends up North, we were having a large dust storm (haboob) while you were getting repeatedly pounded. This is as bad as it gets down here, and it completely disappeared in a couple of hours. You are all in my prayers, and I wouldn’t trade our situations for all the tea in China. Stay safe,” the person wrote.
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