The dust storm that blinded drivers on I-15 in Millard County Sunday was the second deadliest storm since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration started tracking such weather events in 1950. The dust storm killed eight people in a multi-car pileup.
The deadliest storm in Utah was in September of 2015. There were a pair of flash floods in Hildale and Zion National Park that killed 21 people.
According to NOAA, flash floods are common in southern Utah, but deadly dust storms don't typically occur. In fact, dust storms don’t appear in the long list of deadly storms in Utah at all. This year’s exceptional drought has exposed dust on the surface, making the dust storms more likely to form.
NOAA officials say if drought conditions persist in Utah, so does the possibility of more frequent and intense dust storms.
