HARDIN, Mont. — Six people died after a dust storm fueled by wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour caused a pile-up Friday night on Interstate 90 in Montana, authorities said.
Twenty-one vehicles crashed and Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson said authorities believe the weather was a factor.
“It appears that there were strong winds causing a dust storm with zero visibility,” he said.
Although the highway patrol did not have an immediate count of the number of injuries, Nelson said additional ambulances from Billings had to be called to assist.
Gov. Greg Gianforte said on Twitter: “Deeply saddened by the news of a fatal crash near Hardin. Please join me in prayer for the upliftment of the victims and their loved ones. We are grateful to our first responders for their service.”
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who directs the Highway Patrol, said in a statement: “The Montana Highway Patrol is on the scene with other first responders investigating the incident. We will release more information as it becomes available and appropriate out of respect for the lives lost and their loved ones.
“My prayers are with everyone affected by the tragic events of the dust storm in Big Horn County today,” Knudsen added.
The accident occurred 3 miles (5 kilometers) west of Hardin. Video from The Billings Gazette shows hundreds of tractor-trailers, campers and cars backed up for miles on both eastbound lanes of the interstate.
The dust storm’s roots can be traced back several hours, when storms appeared in south-central Montana between 1 and 2 p.m. and slowly began moving east, according to Nick Wertz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Billings.
Those storms triggered a severe thunderstorm watch that blanketed Hardin and other parts of Montana from mid-afternoon to 9:00 pm Friday. Forecasters predicted the potential for isolated quarter-sized hail, scattered winds gusting to 75 mph (121 km/h) and frequent lightning.
A so-called “outflow” — or a surge of wind that is produced by storms but can move faster than them — flew east/southeast about 30 miles (48 kilometers) ahead of the storms, Wertz said.
A wind gust of 40 mph (64 km/h) was reported at the nearby Big Horn County Airport at 4:15 p.m. The crash was reported to the Highway Patrol at 4:28 p.m.
By the time the airport weather station next reported at 4:35 p.m., gusts had increased to 100 km/h. Another reading 20 minutes later recorded a gust of 64 mph (103 km/h).
Winds easily whipped up dust — a product of recent temperatures in the 90s and triple digits over the past week — and reduced visibility to less than 1/4 mile (0.4 kilometers).
“If they looked up at the sky while they were in Hardin, they probably didn’t see much of what you would think of as a thundercloud, maybe not even much,” Wertz said. “It was just a gust of wind that came out of nowhere.”
As first responders try to clear the wreckage, the meteorologist said they can expect to be safe from additional winds and thunderstorms.
“It should be a relatively clear and calm night for them,” he said.
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