Blowing Dust in Skagit and Douglas Counties

Last week while on the Waterville Plateau in central Washington I observed a bit of a dust storm to the east in the early morning.

   

Blowing dust on the north side of the Waterville Plateau

Distant haze suggest dust blowing further east 

The dust blow was from an area that burned last September that is also underlain by glacial lake sediments. Glacial ice from the Okanogan ice lobe blocked the Columbia River forming a large ice margin lake. The lake sediments are very fine grained and readily will erode via both water and wind from areas of disturbed ground. 

More surprising was the dust storm mid day today on the Skagit River delta.

April and May have been dry on the Skagit delta/flats and the fields are drier than usual. This is generally a good thing as wet springs can hamper getting out on these fields -- they are just above or at sea level (think Netherlands and dikes that keep the tide out). Most of the dust was from potato fields that were recently plowed. They get plowed pretty deep and pretty late with some not yet planted. However, one corn field just sprouting was kicking up dust as well. The pictures are from between Edison and Allen, northwest of Burlington.

Dust lifting off plowed field obscuring the view of Blanchard Mountain

Dust lifting off field with Bayview Hill in the distance

Driving across the Samish Flats was an eastern Washington experience

The dust blow lasted a few hours but ended as the wind calmed a bit and spring shower passed through. 

I sent a few pictures to Cliff Mass and he has a write up on today's wind event: dust-storms-on-both-sides-of-cascades. Cliff included some pictures from the Tri-City area, a place where I experienced my share of dust storms. 

Josh Ritter starts a song that is apt for dust storms and farming: "Dirt roads and dryland farming might be the death of me. But I can't leave this world behind" Josh Ritter - Lawrence, Kansas. I will just note that all the rain in Skagit winters precludes dirt roads in the farm land.