High winds stirred clouds of dust that impacted air quality and obstructed visibility along roads in the Coachella Valley, prompting the South Coast Air Quality Management District to issue an unhealthful air advisory for multiple locations.
Early Friday afternoon, wind gusts in excess of 50 mph were recorded near Palm Springs, according to the SCAQMD.
The agency posted a “hazardous” conditions advisory for the Whitewater Wash and northern Cathedral City, while the area around Palm Springs was declared “unhealthful on account of windblown dust.”
Shortly before 3 p.m., the Palm Springs Police Department shut down East Vista Chino, between Carmela and Clubhouse View drives, due to dust clouds significantly impacting visibility along the corridor.
A dry frontal boundary rapidly moving across Southern California was responsible for the wind surge, according to the National Weather Service.
The winds were forecast to let up Saturday night.