Dust storm advisory covers Sandoval County, visibility drops along major roads

Drivers on Interstate 40, Highway 550 and Interstate 25 faced a fast-moving dust wall Wednesday afternoon as visibility dropped below a mile across southeastern Sandoval County. The National Weather Service in Albuquerque issued the advisory at 2:45 p.m. and let it run until 3:15 p.m., warning that blowing dust could quickly erase sight lines along some of the county’s busiest travel routes.

The alert covered southeastern Sandoval County, northeastern Valencia County and Bernalillo County. The weather service said the dust band stretched from about 6 miles northwest of Mariposa to over El Cerro Mission and was moving northeast at 25 mph. It also listed Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Los Lunas, Bernalillo, Corrales, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, Bosque Farms and Tijeras as affected locations, a footprint that reached deep into the daily commute patterns of workers, delivery drivers and school traffic across the metro.

The highway impacts were specific. The advisory included Interstate 40 between mile markers 150 and 177, Highway 550 between mile markers 1 and 18, and Interstate 25 between mile markers 200 and 253. The weather service warned motorists not to drive into blowing dust and to pull off the road if caught in dense dust, advice that carried special weight on fast-moving corridors where visibility can vanish before a driver has time to brake.

Conditions at Albuquerque International Airport were less severe by comparison, but still windy. Around 2:52 p.m., the airport reported west wind at 14 mph gusting to 29 mph, visibility of 10 miles and a temperature of 87 degrees. The forecast still called for a high near 92 that afternoon, leaving plenty of dry, gusty air in place even as the advisory expired.

The weather service says dust storm warnings and advisories are issued when blowing dust or sand cuts visibility to a half-mile or less and winds reach at least 30 mph. City of Albuquerque guidance tells residents and businesses to control fugitive dust from construction sites and to call 311 if they see dust from a site, while its severe-weather page directs people to check for Sunport, Albuquerque Public Schools, UNM, utility and transit delays. New Mexico transportation officials have also treated dust as a recurring highway hazard, citing a mitigation program launched after a serious 2014 crash near Lordsburg and more than 40 dust-related highway deaths at Lordsburg Playa since 1965.