It's a wall ... of dust.
A giant dust storm swept through the southeastern part of Colorado a few weeks ago, with winds reaching 50 to 60 miles per hour. Blowing dust and wind advisories were in effect for parts of the state as the wall of dust moved through the area. It moved all the way into the Texas Panhandle, 300 miles away.
A ranger from John Martin State Park in the Lower Arkansas River Valley took some photos of the giant dust devil as it swept across the park. Colorado Parks and Wildlife shared the images on Twitter:
The dust storm last weekend closed in quickly kn @JohnMartinSP resembling a scene from the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s. (2 of 3) pic.twitter.com/b9AMlZrkWc
— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) October 15, 2020
The view from inside the massive dust devil that swept across the Southeast Region and @JohnMartinSP last weekend. (3/3) pic.twitter.com/0tqz6kRTfJ
— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) October 15, 2020
Other people in the area also captured footage of the big dust devil:
Current view 5 miles south of Granada #cowx @NWSPueblo @BrianBledsoe pic.twitter.com/Q1ICsH3AGn
— Christi Stulp (@ChristiStulp) October 11, 2020
A dust storm sweeping across Eastern Colorado.
— CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) October 12, 2020
Seen yesterday by GOES-East: https://t.co/ZXnqf5d3sl. pic.twitter.com/k30wZEq0Cs
The dust storm was so big it likely met the criteria to be called a haboob, which is an intense sand or dust storm that is caused by strong winds, with sand and dust thrown as high as 5,000 feet. The swell was likely caused by the cold air moving through the state, as well as recent drought conditions. Dust storms often occur rapidly and reduce visibility very quickly. Dust storms like this happen periodically in Colorado; though a haboob is rare, there have been big dust storms in the state since the times of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.
It's not recommended to drive through a wall of dust like this one. If possible, avoid doing so, but keep your headlights on if you're near one. If you cannot see, pull off the road and wait until it passes to safely continue.
Did you see this giant dust devil a few weeks ago? Have you ever been caught in a dust storm like this one? Sound off in the comments.
