I camped in one for a week in Mongolia, near the Gobi desert. We didn't experience any outrageous weather, but all the locals out in the country use them year round, and with an area as wide open and dry as that, I've got to imagine they'd hold up just fine to dust and wind.

I don't know if the playa dust will stick, though from what I've been told, it attaches to everything.

Actually, the biggest problem for you may be that there won't be any animal cr@p to burn for warmth. (It's not generally known, but Mongolia is the Land of Poop.) The yurt loses a lot of heat if you have the top open even a quarter of the way. If you've got some sort of stove or something, though, you'll probably need to have it at least partially open.

Have a great time, BTW!