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A heavy dust storm that occurred in Northwestern China during April 24-30 2010 was studied using observational data along with the Fu-Liou radiative transfer model. The dust storm was originated from Mongolia and affected more than 10 provinces of China. Our results showed that dust aerosols have a significant impact on the radiative energy budget. At Minqin (102.959 degrees E, 38.607 degrees N) and Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University (SACOL, 104.13 degrees E, 35.95 degrees N) sites, the net radiative forcing (RF) ranged from 5.93 to 35.7 W m(-2) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), -63 to -30.94 W m(-2) at surface, and 16.77 to 5632 W m(-2) in the atmosphere. The maximum net radiative heating rate reached 5.89 K at 1.5 km on 24 April at the Minqin station and 4.46 K at 2.2 km on 29 April at the SACOL station. Our results also indicated that the radiative effect of dust aerosols is affected by aerosol optical depth (AOD), single-scattering albedo (SSA) and surface albedo. Modifications of the radiative energy budget by dust aerosols may have important implications for atmospheric circulation and regional climate. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.