Characteristics of Dust Events Across West Texas

Dust events develop when strong winds loft dust particles into the atmosphere and blow it lengthy distances away from the source. Dust events cause significant hazards to property, economy, and more importantly human health. The Central and Western part of the United States experiences many dust events due to desert regions and the arid, semi-arid climate. The Southern High Plains in West Texas experiences multiple dust events annually due to surrounding agriculture as well as the Chihuahua Desert to the west, yet the temporal and spatial distribution of these dust events are not known.

This study analyzed dust events from four regions in West Texas using local Automatic Surface Observation System (ASOS) sites: Amarillo (KAMA), Lubbock (KLBB), Midland/Odessa (KMAF), and El Paso (KELP) using meteorological conditions and the Present Weather Code provided in each METeorological Aerodrome Reports (METARs). Each site was analyzed for its temporal changes of dust events as well as for the meteorological disturbance (synoptic and convective) that caused it. Observation of the meteorological characteristics (temperature, dew point, relative humidity, wind speed, wind gust, and visibility), as well as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and drought were examine to identify its impact on the initiation of dust events in this region.