Such conditions resulted in a pileup on Interstate 70 last week in western Kansas involving dozens of cars and trucks that left eight people dead. Blinding dust on Tuesday also prompted New Mexico's transportation department to close a 130-mile (210-kilometer) stretch of highway from the Arizona state line to the outskirts of Las Cruces.

A Barrington native who was on her way back to visit family in the suburbs said it's a miracle she and her partner survived being caught in a Kansas dust storm highway pileup involving more than 70 vehicles.