When we think of dust storms, we often picture the dust storms of the 1930’s dust bowl. Despite improved soil conservation, these storms aren’t unheard of in modern times. On February 14, 1991 western Kansas saw a reminder of those epic dust events. Average wind speeds of 40 miles per hour with gust in excess of 50 miles per hour were reported at Goodland, KS. These strong winds caused a blackout from dust over much of western Kansas. The visibility decreased to zero for several hours during the day. This forced the closing of interstate 70 west of Russell. A 33 car pileup occurred about 7 miles east of Goodland on interstate 70 resulting in several injuries but no fatalities.
Mary Knapp
mknapp@ksu.edu