BENNETT, Colo. — A dust storm moved through the Front Range east of the Denver metro area on Friday afternoon, creating zero-visibility conditions.
Winds gusted over 40 mph in Bennett, near where the video below was taken. Those strong winds over the period of about an hour kicked up lots of dust, reducing visibility.
So-called "outflow" winds from thunderstorms across northeastern Colorado likely contributed to the visuals below. Outflow winds are cool and moist, and they can travel long distances away from the base of a parent thunderstorm.
The National Weather Service issued a dust storm warning for I-70 between Strasburg and Watkins that was scheduled to expire at 5:45 p.m.
Bennett-Watkins Fire said they'd responded to multiple crashes on I-70 due to the low visibility.
Sky9 captured video of the weather phenomena as it moved through the Bennett area:
Before the storm, westbound lanes on Interstate 70 were briefly closed Friday afternoon for a two-vehicle crash. CDOT cameras in the area showed the storm moving through the area:
Strong winds forced a ground stop at Denver International Airport on Friday afternoon, with big delays expected through the evening.
Inbound flights were being held at their origins until at least 4:30 p.m. on Friday, marking an over two-hour delay for inbound flights.
Strong winds and blowing dust led to the delays. While no rain or thunderstorms were observed at DIA on Friday afternoon, gusty and highly variable wind directions kicked up dust and made flying in or out of the airport difficult.
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