South Texas Winds Push 8,000-foot High Dust Cloud Into Lubbock At Rush Hour Monday

[hatrack]

LUBBOCK, Texas - Winds gusting at more than 70 mph churned up a dust storm that roiled through the Texas South Plains during the Monday afternoon commute. Dust kicked up by westerly breezes ahead of a strong cold front restricted visibility in Lubbock to about 5 miles all afternoon, said National Weather Service Lubbock meteorologist Matt Ziebell.

That was nothing compared to the 8,000-foot-high rolling dust cloud that moved through the city just before 6 p.m., dropping visibility to between zero and less than a quarter of a mile, Ziebell said. North winds gusting as high as 74 mph had begun forming the dust cloud about 100 miles north of Lubbock around 4:30 p.m., he said. "It went from light to dark, just like that," said Lubbock convenience store clerk Alma Williams. "I've never seen anything like it. It really scared me."

She said customers who went outside to watch the dirt cloud said they hadn't seen anything like it, either. Lubbock city spokesman Jeff McKito said he was driving home from work when the dust hit. "It was pretty spectacular. Everything just turned black," he said. He said cars pulled over and stopped, "but you don't want to get out of the car in this situation," he said.

FAA controllers at Lubbock International Airport had to evacuate the tower and direct air traffic from a backup center on the tower's ground floor, McKito said. Trees toppled, roofs lost shingles and a small cargo plane at the airport was overturned, he said.

EDIT

http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation/20111017_ap_duststormroilsthroughtexassouthplains.html

[XemaSab]

1. Nothing like THAT's ever happened before in the southern Great Plains

:eyes:

"The Worst Hard Time": get it and read it, kids.

[Taverner]

2. "Yep that thar global warming was made up by them commie scientists!"

[Gman]

13. I grew up in Texas hearing about such things during the Dust Bowl years of the 30's

It's not unprecedented. I think it's a normal cycle that is only exacerbated by but not caused by global warming.

[kestrel91316]

3. No pics?? We wuz cheated.

[duhneece]

4. That's what I say nt

[hatrack]

5. Oh, you were finished? Well then allow me to retort!!

:hi:


(The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Walt Nett/Associated Press) - Traffic moves through a dust storm which cast a brown pall over downtown Lubbock, Texas on Monday, Oct. 17, 2011. A strong cold front bringing north and west winds gusting to 60 mph churned up the dust storm that roiled through the Texas South Plains.

[kestrel91316]

7. Rather Dust Bowl-ish if you ask me.

[duhneece]

12. You are the best...my children live in Lubbock

And I knew nothing, but really wanted to see a pic.

[Viking12]

11. How about video??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk5TL72G0gY

[TexasProgresive]

6. Syntax police here

Of course the headline is in a Philadelphia paper.
Lubbock is not in south Texas but in west Texas, the winds were not south winds. Lubbock is in the southern great plains

"A strong cold front bringing north and west winds"

[newfie11]

8. Its just Lubbock,Where I was born.

What else is new. Sand storms etc!

[TexasProgresive]

9. blond women with big hair and lots of hairspray.

That's the Lubbock I remember.

[newfie11]

10. LOL well I am blond and used to have big hair in the 60/70's

Now in Nebraska and its grey, LOL.
Probably from all the sand storms in Lubbock.

[rbixby]

14. Guess calling it a Haboob isn't politically correct, eh?

NT