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    Dust storm roils through Texas South Plains

    LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — 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.

    No injuries were reported from the dust cloud reminiscent of those shown in Dust Bowl photos from the late 1930s.

    The dust cloud was yet another byproduct of the persistent drought in West Texas, Ziebell said.

    The U.S. Drought Monitor map released Oct. 11 showed much of Texas, including the South Plains, were still experiencing "exceptional drought" — the most severe category.

    In an Oct. 6 statement, the National Weather Service in Lubbock reported that there was a "high likelihood" that 2011 could be the driest on record across the South Plains.

     
     
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    188 comments

    • Kid Shamrock  •  7 mths ago
      Deja Vu all over again. First a depression with millions unemployed and now the dust storms begin...
      • TadK 7 mths ago
        Big difference. West Texas is already a desert. The Dust Bowl happened in the midwest on legitimate farmland. These happen in Iraq, too.
    • robert  •  7 mths ago
      Old song title : Happiness is Lubbock Texas in my rearview mirror . by the Gattlin Brothers . This is one of the reasons why .
      • 56hornet 7 mths ago
        mac davis is the one that sang that song
      • Keith 7 mths ago
        56hornet beat me to it
      • THINK! 7 mths ago
        Doesn't matter. Any part of texas in you rear view mirror is a good thing.
    • tinker thinker  •  7 mths ago
      Ahh, it sounds like a doozy, but as a native West Texan, it's nothing new.
    • JaniceB  •  7 mths ago
      I lived in Lubbock from 1987 to 1990. I remember upon occasion walking my dog and getting caught in one of these dust storms, which came from nowhere without warning, in the middle of the walk. In fact, I had to give up wearing contact lenses--as they became sandpaper to the eye during these storms. And dust storms invariably hit after washing the car!! This is nothing new.
      • Dr. Figgler 7 mths ago
        You had a 3 year sentance in Lubbock? My heart goes out to you. I served a 7 year one. I lost nearly half of my intellect before escaping.
      • Walt 7 mths ago
        Dr Figgler, don't blame it on Lubbock being a #$%$ probably comes naturally for you.
      • Robert 7 mths ago
        I had a 2 year sentence and thankfully I was paroled. When I was there, 1987-1989, we'd squat down and let the blowing dirt blow over probably once an inning and then resume playing ball. It dirt stings when it hits you.
    • LarryRIley  •  7 mths ago
      This happened to Texas Panhandle and south plains in the mid-50s. Huge dust storms in that entire area. Just ask some of the old timers who lived there at that time. This is nothing new to the area.
      • codyj 7 mths ago
        You don't even have to be that old. I saw it as a child back in the 70s.
    • Fission Surplus  •  7 mths ago
      I live out here in west Texas, and it was a whopper, all right. Dust storms are common in the spring and fall, and our particular area has only received 2 inches of rain in the past year, so many farm fields are nothing but acres of dusty ground. It is the dust bowl all over again. No worries, though...NOAA predicts that we'll be over this drought by the year 2020.
      • whisky_ m 7 mths ago
        I hope its over with long before 2020,You folks could sure use some rain,and I hope you get it soon.
      • Robert 7 mths ago
        I hope you can get rain soon. That area cannot survive until 2020 without rain.
    • Inlander  •  7 mths ago
      Spring and Fall seasons: Definitely a strong likelihood of dust storms. Intense dust storms don't happen all the time. The caprock and plains. Beautiful sunsets!
    • A Yahoo! User  •  7 mths ago
      Dust storm in West Texas...so what's new?
    • Jennifer  •  7 mths ago
      I live in Lubbock. Kinda surprised this made Drudge. It's relatively common for this to happen here.
    • Rascal  •  7 mths ago
      Texas has always had dust storms..nothing new to native Texans..Its not uncommon to see winds in excess of 40 mph sometimes as high as 60 mph(the record for winds speed where I live is 81 mph with out a tornado or hurricane,just wind) with wind speeds that high of course there's going to be dust storms.
    • Sam  •  7 mths ago
      Pray for us Rick, Pray for us. Ahhhh just as good as a cup of joe.
    • shirley k  •  7 mths ago
      I saw the dust bowel, but I had never seen the sky that red with dust in my 80+ years. it was really quite a sight.
    • Catman  •  7 mths ago
      I'm glad we got the rain here in Dallas County, 8/10ths of an inch in my gauge. Two nice light shows to go with it. Finally some cool weather, today's high forecast in the 60's!
    • roger l  •  7 mths ago
      Have fun trying to keep your house clean, it gets into everything...
    • travis  •  7 mths ago
      i lived in west texas as a child in the 50s. we had sandstorms so bad you couldnt see across the street. no fun. way before rick perry, obama or bush. and nobody talked of global warning. funny how people want to politize evrything now
    • Michael B  •  7 mths ago
      GOD's answer to Perry's praying for rain
    • James  •  7 mths ago
      Why is this written as if this is rare? Look, I've lived in West Texas three separate times and there are dust storms every spring. Some of the highways in Winkler, Andrews and Gaines Counties have to be maintained with earth moving equipment because of the blowing dunes. The article makes it seem as if this hasn't been seen since the 1930s. Happens every year.
    • John  •  7 mths ago
      I guess all that burning fossil fuel caused the Dust Bowl in the '30s.
    • Happily Retired!  •  7 mths ago
      Naw, that was just 4 drug dealers with AK's roaring thru in a pickup!
    • queenb  •  7 mths ago
      My nephew goes to school out there. He sent some pictures last night. Amazing to watch it roll in, unfortunately, this is nothing new for that part of the state.
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