THE RECENT ILLINOIS DUST STORMS LED TO A SERIES OF SEVERE DISASTERS, WITH THE MOST NOTABLE ONE IN EARLY MAY OF 2023. A DUST STORM TURNED DEADLY IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS WHEN BLOWING TOPSOILS CAUSED A MULTI-VEHICLE CRASH ON INTERSTATE 55, KILLING 8 PEOPLE AND INJURING 37. MUCH OF ILLINOIS EXPERIENCED A DROUGHT DURING THE INTENSE FARMING AS PART OF THE PLANTING SEASON FROM LATE APRIL TO JUNE 2023. DURING THIS DROUGHT, VOLATILE WEATHER DROVE WIND GUSTS THAT SWEPT UP PARCHED AND TILLED SOIL PARTICLES FROM FIELDS CREATING AN INTENSE DUST STORM THAT CAUSED THE HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS, AND DREW COMPARISONS TO THE 1930'S DUST BOWL. SUCH CONDITIONS AND THE RESULTING DUST STORMS POSE SEVERE THREATS TO HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AS WELL AS ROAD SAFETY, AND COULD BECOME FREQUENT UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE. THE CURRENT LOW ADOPTION OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES, SUCH AS COVER CROPPING AND NO-TILL MAY ALSO BE A REASON LEADING TO THE CURRENT DISASTER. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL SIGNIFICANT GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE AND QUANTITATIVE INFORMATION RELATED TO THE DUST STORM MECHANISM OVER AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES FOR THE BROAD MIDWEST, WHICH SEVERELY AFFECTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE DUST STORM FORMATION; AT THE SAME, ADDRESSING THESE GAPS REQUIRES TRANSLATING RESEARCH AND HELPING FARMERS APPLY LESSONS FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICES IN THEIR FIELDS. THEREFORE, THIS PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE ADVANCED REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGIES, NUMERICAL WEATHER MODELING AND SOCIAL SCIENCE ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND AGRICULTURAL DUST STORM MECHANISMS AND DEVELOP MITIGATION STRATEGIES.