Dozens of Vehicles Crash in Arizona Dust Storms
October 05, 2011; 3:42 AM
Department of Public Safety Officers and other emergency personnel make their way around a 16-car pile up on Interstate 10 between Tucson and Phoenix Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
An elderly man is dead and at least 15 other people injured after dust storms triggered three major multi-vehicle accidents on Arizona's Interstate 10 on Tuesday.
Two of the three crashes occurred shortly after noon (MST, 3 p.m. EDT) near Picacho, located in between Tucson and Phoenix.
A total of 16 vehicles were involved in these pileups, which claimed the life of a 70-year-old man.
The Associated Press reports that the man died almost instantly when the vehicle his wife was driving slammed into and got lodged underneath a semi-truck.
The man's wife was taken to the hospital after it took rescuers 45 minutes to extract her from the damaged vehicle.
Authorities were not able to transport the woman and other injured motorists to hospitals by helicopter as blowing dust continued to reduce visibility.
Nearly two hours later, eight vehicles were involved in another pileup on Interstate 10 just north of Casa Grande. Two people sustained serious, but non-life-threatening injuries in this collision.
The blowing dust that triggered the accidents was kicked up by the gusty winds that howled as a potent storm system dropped into Arizona.
Radar images from the time of the first two crashes also indicate that a developing shower was in the vicinity, which could have led to an additional brief burst of wind.
Wind gusts exceeded 30 mph several times on Tuesday afternoon in Casa Grande, Tucson and Phoenix. Tucson reported a peak gust of 43 mph at 12:22 p.m. MST.
The highest wind gusts recorded at Phoenix and Casa Grande, 41 mph and 38 mph respectively, occurred in the hours following the three crashes.
Less wind will whip across southeastern Arizona on Wednesday. However, strong winds will quickly reduce Thursday and renew the blowing dust danger.
More Weather News
-
Renewed River Flood Threat for Northern Plains
May 20, 2013; 2:55 AM ET
Heavy rain returning to the northern Plains will generate a renewed flood threat for the Red River.
-
Sunday Reports: Tornadoes Touch Down From Oklahoma to Iowa
May 20, 2013; 2:46 AM ET
The severe weather threat is winding down for the night after more than 20 reports of tornadoes through Sunday night.
-
Photos: Massive Tornadoes Lash the Plains
May 20, 2013; 2:41 AM ET
Several tornadoes touched down from Oklahoma to Iowa, including near Wichita, Kan., and Oklahoma City, on Sunday.
-
Dallas to Chicago: Severe Storm Outbreak Continues Monday
May 20, 2013; 2:30 AM ET
Severe storms may erupt from Texas to Wisconsin on Monday as the storm system that spawned several tornadoes across the Plains on Saturday and Sunday shifts slowly to the east.
-
Another Cool and Unsettled Week for Western Europe
May 20, 2013; 2:11 AM ET
A slow-moving storm resulted in a week of below-normal temperatures that will likely continue into the week.
-
Local Radar: Tracking the Severe Storm Outbreak
May 19, 2013; 8:42 PM ET
Keep up to date on the severe thunderstorm outbreak unfolding across the Plains by tracking local radars.
Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | N/A | |
| Low | N/A | |
| Precip | N/A |
WeatherWhys®
This Day In Weather History
Midwest (1957)
Tornado has 70 mile long track that ends in
Kansas City suburb. 48 people died.
Milford, OH (eastern suburb of Cincinnati) (1982)
2.50" of rain in 30 minutes (3:30-4:00 p.m.)
Patuxent River, MD (1996)
100 degrees.
Rough Weather
AccuWeather.com
Custom Search
Comments
Comments left here should adhere to the AccuWeather.com Community Guidelines. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.