Six people are dead after a major crash occurred on an interstate in Montana caused by a dust storm with 60 mph winds.
The high-speed wind gusts caused a miles-long traffic pileup just three miles west of Hardin, Montana, on Friday evening after a thunderstorm caused a so-called “outflow,” meaning the storm produced surges of wind gusts that can travel faster than the storm itself. Weather officials recorded a gust of 40 mph near the Big Horn County Airport around 4:15 p.m., just 13 minutes before the crash was reported.
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“I’m deeply saddened by the news of a mass casualty crash near Hardin. Please join me in prayer to lift up the victims and their loved ones. We’re grateful to our first responders for their service,” Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said.
The wind gusts picked up speed in the minutes after the crash, with the airport recording a 62 mph gust at 4:35 p.m. and another at 64 mph just before 5 p.m. The wind caused a significant dust storm that reduced visibility to less than one-fourth of a mile, meteorologists said.
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“If they looked up in the sky while they’re in Hardin, they probably didn’t see much of what you’d think of for a thunderstorm cloud, maybe not even much at all,” Nick Vertz, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told the Associated Press. “It was just a surge of wind that kind of appeared out of nowhere.”
Twenty-one cars were involved in the crash, and it’s not yet clear how many injuries occurred. The city’s highway patrol responded to the incident, with ambulances from the nearby city of Billings, Montana, also assisting with rescue efforts.
