The fields at Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex were filled with players and their families just after 8 p.m. Wednesday. The weather was sweltering — still air and early evening temperatures remaining in the 90s.
Then, with a gust, the complex was engulfed in something reminiscent of the Dirty ‘30s.
According to Ray Burgert of the National Weather Service, the strong thunderstorm that developed just east of Hays led to a strong outflow of air pushing in the other direction. While the rain and storms moved east, a strong west wind blew through Hays.
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While the machine that measures wind speed at the Hays Regional Airport isn’t functioning at the moment, Burgert estimated wind speeds of 50 mph — a figure that most at the complex would consider to be conservative.
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With construction of the Fort Hays State University track complex just to the east of the complex, the wind — which blew steadily for up to 30 minutes — kicked up a dust cloud that sand-blasted participants and blocked the sun. Games came to a halt until the winds calmed.
Just a few minutes after the wind started, the temperature had dropped up to 15 degrees. The event seemed to be localized, as reports Thursday from other areas of Hays included strong wind, but no dust storm.
That relief will be short-lived, however, as this weekend’s brutal heat forecast is holding.
“You’ll recover today and heat right back up,” Burgert said, noting a Thursday high of 103 degrees is expected. “The heat stays with us through the weekend.”