Dust storm warnings spread across Illinois Friday evening, including much of the Chicago area.
These advisories are issued when convectively driven dust is reducing visibilities to 1 mile or less, but greater than a quarter mile, according to the National Weather Service. Winds of 25 mph or greater are usually required.
The NWS website states a dust storm usually arrives suddenly in the form of a “wall of dust and debris” which can be miles long and thousands of feet high.
Hazardous driving conditions are created since the storms often strike with little warning prompting reduced visibility, the NWS says.
According to the NWS, dust storm warnings were in effect through much of the evening hours for several Chicago-area counties including La Salle, Will, Grundy and Kankakee counties.
The warning was extended to 8 p.m. for Kendall, northern LaSalle, northwestern Will, southern DeKalb and southeastern Cook Illinois, as well as Porter and Lake counties in northwest Indiana. It was extended to 8:30 p.m. CT over the city of Chicago.
Here are some safety tips for dust storms, according to the NWS:
If dense dust is observed blowing across or approaching a roadway, pull your vehicle off the pavement as far as possible, stop, turn off lights, set the emergency brake, take your foot off of the brake pedal to be sure the tail lights are not illuminated. Don’t enter the dust storm area if you can avoid it. If you can’t pull off the roadway, proceed at a speed suitable for visibility, turn on lights and sound horn occasionally. Use the painted center line to help guide you. Look for a safe place to pull off the roadway. Never stop on the traveled portion of the roadway.A dust storm warning is in effect until 8:30 PM CDT for I-190, I-290, I-294, I-355 near Chicago, IL–IN. pic.twitter.com/rmMBGFnV8g
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) May 16, 2025State officials warned of “life-threatening travel” at these locations:
I-39 between mile markers 66 and 77 I-55 between mile markers 250 and 269 I-57 between mile markers 339 and 358 I-80 between mile markers 124 and 155 I-90 between mile markers 104 and 107 I-94 between mile markers 62 and 74 I-294 between mile markers 62 and 74 I-355 between mile markers 1 and 14 Indiana I-80 between mile markers 1 and 16 Indiana I-90 between mile markers 1 and 37 Indiana I-94 between mile markers 16 and 32 Indiana I-65 between mile markers 254 and 261 Read More Details
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