BELLINGHAM — Tayler Blanco and her family were heading home to the Tri-Cities on Highway 395 when suddenly the air outside of their car became thick with sand.

“It was probably the scariest moment of my life,” she told the Tri-City Herald. “There were many times the storm was so thick that you could not see anything around you.”

Blanco, her husband and their 2 1/2-year-old toddler were among dozens of travelers surprised by a dust storm that blinded drivers on Highway 395 Saturday afternoon.

High winds with gusts up to 45 mph cut visibility on the busy divided highway to just feet.

It’s believed to have led to two crashes involving at least eight cars and semi trucks, leaving one man dead and another in critical condition.John Riggs took a picture of a dust storm near Connell that kill

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