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Air quality plummets as West Texas dust moves into Houston

Visibility is reduced due to the dust. (Copyright 2023 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

HOUSTON – A cold front moved through Southeast Texas Monday, bringing gusty wind from the west that is full of West Texas dust.

This has led to a decrease in air quality, hazy skies and reduced visibility. Out in West Texas, several spots recorded wind gusts over 100 mph, which triggered power outages and even a haboob. A haboob is a dangerous dust storm that can quickly drop visibilities and often leads to traffic accidents. Here in Houston our main concern is the air quality.

On a typical day downtown is visible from the Southwest freeway but today it is covered in dust. (Copyright 2023 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

The air quality at 1 p.m. showed our air was unhealthy for sensitive groups in Houston. This means if you suffer from respiratory problems like asthma you may want to consider exercising indoors. For those in Conroe, air quality was unhealthy for all people, which means you should limit time outside and keep windows closed.

Air quality was unhealthy for all in Conroe at 1PM. (Copyright 2023 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

If you’ve been feeling off before the dust moved in, there’s also a possibility it is the pollen! Frank blogged about it today, we had extreme tree pollen for the first time this year.

From the Harris County health department

About the Author
Caroline Brown headshot

Meteorologist, 6th generation Texan, country music lover, patio seeker