Strong winds kick up dust across the valley

By Pashtana Usufzy, Jackie Valley

Published Tuesday, April 14, 2015 | 9:37 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, April 14, 2015 | 7:30 p.m.

For the second week in a row, an air quality advisory was issued for blowing dust, this time as a result of gusts and the strongest cold front so far this year in the Las Vegas area.

Clark County Department of Air Quality officials warned earlier today that high winds would create the possibility of blowing dust through tonight.

The cold front began pushing through the valley about 4:30 p.m., bringing with it dust and winds from 35 to 50 miles per hour, National Weather Service meteorologist Reid Wolcott said.

Gusts from the southwest reached 49 mph ahead of the cold front, Wolcott said.

A wind advisory affecting Las Vegas, which began about 8 a.m., will end at 11 p.m., he said.

The strongest winds should begin to taper off this evening, and the valley shouldn't expect gusts more than 40 mph after the advisory ends, he said. Winds are expected to gradually taper off as the week continues.

A dust storm warning for Death Valley, Esmeralda County and Lincoln County, among other areas, ended about 7 p.m., he said.

Meanwhile, a wind warning for those areas, excluding Lincoln County, will end about 11 p.m., Wolcott said.

A high wind warning will be in effect tonight beginning 11 p.m. for Lake Mead and the area south to the Arizona border, he said. That advisory will be in effect until 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Dust from dry lake beds in Esmeralda and Nye County came in following the cold front, Wolcott said.

Air quality officials notified construction sites, urging workers to take precautions to prevent dust.

Airborne dust can aggravate respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma, so it might be best for children, the elderly and those suffering from respiratory problems to stay indoors for the duration of the county's advisory, officials said.

People can call 702-385-DUST to report excessive amounts of blowing dust.

Dust in the valley air should decrease overnight with considerably less in the air Wednesday, Wolcott said.

Temperatures should be significantly cooler due to the cold front, with today's highs in the 80s cooling down to about 69 degrees Wednesday, he said.

The low tonight should reach about 54 degrees, and gusts should reach about 20 to 30 mph on Wednesday, Wolcott said.

A low of 50 is expected Wednesday night, he said.