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Monday, Mar. 24, 2025

Fact brief: Did the North Texas dust storm bring in dirt from the West Coast?

Drew Shaw, Fort Worth Report
no

The source of the recent dust storm in North Texas was not from any coastal region.

Dust from New Mexico and West Texas blew into Dallas-Fort Worth on March 14 carried by winds up to 70 mph and affecting both air quality and visibility.

The dust storm was caused by a dry line, which is a moving air boundary like a cold front but that separates moist air from dry air, rather than warm from cool. 

The dry line’s eastbound direction was what caused the unique, dusty conditions. Northward or southward winds don’t have the same effect.

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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

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