The storm's winds reached upwards of 60 mph in East-Central El Paso, where the weather station at the El Paso International Airport recorded a high of 64 mph gusts, according to Joe Delizio, a meteorologist with National Weather Service El Paso.
"Inside the city, but a little bit to the east, we had stronger winds," Delizio said, explaining there were wind gusts "in the 60s and 70s east of the mountain range."
Although the wind was strong enough to uproot a tree in Central El Paso, it didn't break the 84 mph record recorded March 10, 1977, and March 26, 2010.
"Goes to show March is truly the start of the windy season here in El Paso," Delizio said.
The National Weather Service reported visibility dropped to less than a quarter mile in areas surrounding the Sun City from dust originating in northern Mexico. The dust storm stretched as far north as Truth of Consequences in Southern New Mexico.
El Paso Fire Department spokesman Enrique Dueñas-Aguilar said the storm brought a 10% increase in emergency calls citywide.
"We saw calls that we usually don't get that were caused by the dust storm," Dueñas-Aguilar said. "We had three children injured, one of them with severe injuries, by a jumping castle that flew up."
Dueñas-Aguilar also noted that, alongside downed power lines, a store in Socorro, Texas, had a roof collapse that affected nearby structures. However, no one was injured.
"We want to praise the work of first responders," he said, adding, "Anytime conditions become hazardous, we ask the community to stay inside."
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