Dust Storm Warning Issued for Ector, Ward, Winkler, and Crane Counties in West Texas
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
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The National Weather Service has issued a Dust Storm Warning for parts of West Texas until 4:00 PM CDT, citing life-threatening travel conditions and winds exceeding 60 mph.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Dust Storm Warning
- Affected area
- West Texas
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Midland/Odessa
Storm notices can cover different combinations of wind, hail, lightning, and rainfall. Use the original notice for the hazards and boundaries attached to this specific record.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in West Texas.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Midland/Odessa has issued a Dust Storm Warning for portions of western Texas. The alert was issued at 3:24 PM CDT on March 10 following the detection of a dust channel over Monahans via Doppler radar.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following geographic regions in western Texas:
- Southwestern Ector County
- Northeastern Ward County
- Southeastern Winkler County
- Northwestern Crane County
Specific locations impacted include Monahans, Thorntonville, Wickett, Roy Hurd Memorial Airport, and Monahans Sandhills State Park. This warning specifically includes Interstate 20 between mile markers 69 and 93.
What You Should Do
Residents and travelers in the warning area are urged to take the following actions:
- Drivers: Avoid dust storms if possible. If caught in one, pull far off the road and put your vehicle in park. Turn off your lights and keep your foot off the brake to prevent other vehicles from following your tail lights.
- Health Precautions: Infants, the elderly, and those with respiratory issues are urged to take precautions against the dust.
- Safety: Be prepared for a sudden drop to zero visibility, which creates dangerous, life-threatening travel conditions.
Expected Conditions
At 3:23 PM CDT, a dust channel was observed over Monahans. Expected hazards include:
- Visibility: Less than a quarter mile visibility, with potential for sudden drops to near zero.
- Wind: Damaging wind speeds in excess of 60 mph.
- Current Observations: One quarter mile visibility was measured at the Monahans AWOS.
Timeline
The Dust Storm Warning is effective immediately and is scheduled to expire at 4:00 PM CDT on March 10, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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