Monsoon season is officially underway. In addition to dust storms, the monsoon brings the potential for sudden, intense downpours.

Now is the time to get rainstorm-ready. Here are some suggestions for prepping your vehicle:

• Check your tire pressure and tire treads. You don’t want to be caught on slippery road surfaces with poorly inflated or bare tires.
• Check your windshield wipers. Blades can quickly wear, crack or become rigid. Their average lifespan is six months to a one year. You don’t want to discover during a deluge that they aren’t up to the task. Also, top off your windshield washer fluid.
• Clean and check your vehicle's battery. Remove corrosion and ensure cables are securely attached to terminals. We live in a state where batteries tend to last about two years. You don’t want to get caught in driving rain when your battery dies.

Now that your vehicle is shipshape, you need to pack supplies. Bring extra water, an emergency kit, a fully charged cellphone, hand sanitizer, wipes and a cloth face mask. Snacks and extra clothes can be handy if you are in a rain-related backup.

Are you ready for the road? Expect the unexpected. Are you in area prone to falling rocks? Stay alert because rain can loosen them. Are you driving into heavy rain, like this photo to the right from several years ago? Consider delaying travel or waiting it out in a safe spot as far off the road as possible.

Do you know what to do if your vehicle hydroplanes? This is when you drift due to a thin layer of water between your tires and the asphalt. Ease your foot off the gas pedal until you regain traction. Don't brake suddenly. If you are sliding or drifting, gently turn your steering wheel in the direction of your slide.

Even if you're not hydroplaning, don’t brake suddenly or you could slide on wet pavement. Leave plenty of room between your vehicle and the one ahead of you. To slow down on a wet road, take your foot off the gas pedal and brake slowly.

It may seem like common sense, but do not risk crossing a flooded wash, even it if doesn’t seem deep. Water is a powerful force, as you can see in the photo of past flooding, and you could be swept away. Also, do not drive around “Road Closed” signs. Your risk your life and face being cited under the state’s Stupid Motorist law.

You can find these and other rain safety tips on the weather page of our website. There’s even more safety advice at azdot.gov/monsoon and PullAsideStayAlive.org.

 

They say lightning never strikes the same place twice. And that's why we're glad a bolt that streaked boldly from the northeastern Arizona sky last Sunday wound up immortalized by a 511 camera and then by ADOT's social media accounts.

This improbable photographic feat was courtesy of a Road Weather Information System camera along State Route 77 roughly 10 miles south of Holbrook. Before you start doubting the unique nature of this event, consider:

• RIGHT PLACE: These cameras in rural areas of Arizona are mounted on elevated surfaces such as light poles and record the same view over and over.

• RIGHT TIME: This camera takes a photo every 10 minutes to show the latest weather conditions. It just happened to fire at the exact nanosecond when Mother Nature connected sky and earth. When we sought out an ADOT expert on these cameras, he told us it's highly improbable that something like this could happen again.

• RIGHT ELEMENTS: A vehicle happened to be in the frame, traveling north, adding perspective and showing just how powerful this electrical discharge was. The road surface shining with rain magnifies the bolt's brilliance.

Working at ADOT's Traffic Operations Center, one way I gather traffic information is routinely scanning the scores of 511 cameras. In this case, one of the 237,000 followers of our @ArizonaDOT Twitter account, the National Weather Service, spotted the incredible shot first and tweeted it. And the rest is history.

Again, what are the odds? What are the odds that so many elements would come together to create this incredible shot?

The social media response shows that our followers understand the cosmic significance too. One of our Twitter followers said after we posted the picture, "I predict this will go viral.”

She was right. The reaction on ADOT’s Twitter and Facebook accounts shows that we, well, caught lightning in a bottle!

By Dallas Hammit / ADOT State Engineer

Summer is officially here, and in Arizona, the season brings with it many weather-related safety warnings to be aware of. As we all know, it’s not just about the heat — we also have monsoons and dust storms to contend with in the coming months.

Over the years, ADOT has strived to reach out to drivers with information on how to plan ahead and take precautions to stay safe.

There are many resources for motorists to learn from, all available on ADOT’s website. You’ll find extensive safety tips on everything from what to do if you find yourself in a dust storm to prepping your car for a road trip.

For convenience, I wanted to share some of those links with you in this message.

High temperatures: Even if your vehicle has air conditioning, you should always be ready for a potential breakdown or crash that could force you to spend an extended amount of time stopped on the road. Find tips on how to prepare at azdot.gov/extremeheat. For those of you who work outside, ADOT has some helpful pages related to heat stress and heat-related illness.

Monsoons: Drivers should always be prepared and, if necessary, be ready to wait out heavy rain, high winds and blowing dust. If you do find yourself on the road during a monsoon storm, you hopefully will remember the precautions available at azdot.gov/monsoon.

Dust storms: The No. 1 thing to remember about dust storms is to NOT drive into one — avoid these walls of dense, blowing dust by safely pulling off the road. If you encounter a dust storm or a dust channel, immediately check traffic around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down. Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway — do it as soon as possible. Once you’re safely off the road, turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers — you don’t want other vehicles approaching from behind to use your lights as a guide, possibly crashing into your parked vehicle. Set your emergency brake, take your foot off the brake and stay in your vehicle with your seat belt buckled until the storm passes. Find additional safety tips and videos on PullAsideStayAlive.org.

Being well informed and having a plan ahead of time can make a big difference if you’re ever driving in extreme weather. I hope you’ll visit the online safety resources listed above and share the information with your family and friends.

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Editor's Note: More safety messages from Dallas Hammit, ADOT's state engineer and deputy director for transportation, are available at Driving Safety Home on azdot.gov.

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

I am sure you have heard the expression “deer in the headlights” when describing someone who stares and has a frightened look on their face. At the Arizona Department of Transportation, we are alerting drivers to be on the lookout for “deer in the headlights,” literally, on our rural roadways.

Since 2012, more collisions with animals – wildlife, livestock, and family pets – happen this time of year than nearly every other, except for October which sees the most. More than 86 percent of crashes involving animals occur in rural areas.

According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the higher-than-average number of wildlife-related crashes this time of year is likely related to the beginning of monsoon season. That means plants become greener and water becomes more available due to the rain. Wildlife will travel greater distances for food and water and that can mean crossing roadways. Coincidentally, we see more motorists traveling to Arizona’s high country and with that the potential for collisions with wildlife.

At ADOT we have implemented some creative solutions that promote safe travel in heavily-traveled migratory corridors. For example, we have wildlife underpasses and elk crossings along State Route 260 east of Payson, desert bighorn sheep overpasses near Hoover Dam on US 93 and two wildlife crossing structures on State Route 77 near Tucson. We have seen a 98 percent reduction in the number of elk-vehicle collisions on SR 260 over a six-year period due to fencing that link the three elk crossings.

As you travel on our rural highways, please pay attention to the signs that indicate wildlife in the area, obey the speed limit, wear your seat belts, and pay attention to the shoulders on the roadways. You will reduce the chance of colliding with an animal.

Enjoy your summer travels and avoid having your own “deer in the headlights” moment.

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This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's
LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.

By David Woodfill / ADOT Communications

It's reminiscent of the "Star Wars" trash compacter on the Death Star.

Arizona Department of Transportation workers lower themselves onto layers upon layers of trash washed into a freeway pump station. They have to clean this out to keep the system in top operating condition, something that's especially important with monsoon season approaching.

Sometimes crews can suck out the trash using large hoses. But they often have to roll up their sleeves and scoop foam cups, plastic this and that and heaven knows what else into trash bags.

The work comes with risks for workers. There's no monster like on the Death Star (did you know it's called a dianoga?), but there are occasionally snakes, rodents and other creepy crawlies like giant bullfrogs.

You want our pump stations in peak operating condition during storms. Each pump (stations usually have several) is powerful enough to drain your swimming pool in just three minutes.

Multiply that by 59, which is the number of pump stations in the Valley. Along with the many drainage grates along freeways, these pump stations clear a tremendous amount of water. That's why freeway can be drivable even when a storm has left local streets flooded.

But cups and cans and everything else that winds up on a freeway can hinder pump stations and other drainage systems by fouling grates and intakes when it rains.

So think twice the next time you may think about chucking that disposable coffee cup or hamburger wrapper out the window. It's inconsiderate and illegal to begin with. And you're potentially making it more difficult for us to keep freeways clear of water during storms.

You also can take action if you see someone tossing litter on a highway. Report it to the ADOT Litter Hotline at 877.3LITTER or kazb.org and the vehicle's owner will get a letter stating that someone was reported tossing trash from the vehicle. He or she also will get a free litter bag.

You'll get the peace of mind of knowing you've done your part to keep ADOT crews safe from dianogas.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

You’ve heard us say it many times: “Pull Aside, Stay Alive” when visibility gets low because of dust. But do you know what to do if you encounter heavy rain or flooding on the roads?

Monsoon season is still upon us, meaning heavy downpours are possible at any time. Even though much of the state is desert, heavy rain and flash flooding occur every year.

Today we’re sharing tips about driving in a downpour:

• Don’t risk crossing a flooded wash, even if it doesn’t look deep. It's easy to underestimate the power of running water; just a foot can carry off a vehicle.
• Avoid areas where water is pooling in travel lanes; if possible, use center lanes and drive in the tracks of the vehicle ahead of you.
• Do not drive around ‘Road Closed’ signs. You risk your life and face being cited under the state’s stupid motorist law.
• If traffic lights are out, treat an intersection just like a four-way stop.
• Expect the unexpected. Have extra supplies, including an emergency kit and drinking water, in case you experience an extended highway closure.
• Storm runoff can loosen boulders and rocks on slopes above highways. Stay alert in rockfall prone areas.
• Leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle ahead of you and be aware of the vehicles around you in other travel lanes. Braking and shorter stopping distances will be affected by wet roads and slippery roadway surfaces.
• It's important to always be looking ahead for potential problems. In low-lying areas along our state highway system, debris, mud and rocks can wind up on the roadway. Keep an eye out for storm debris ahead.
• Before you drive, inspect your windshield wipers and replace them if necessary.
• Turn on your headlights while driving.
• Avoid sudden braking, which can cause you to slide on the wet pavement. To slow down, take your foot off the gas pedal and brake slowly.
• The tires of larger vehicles, like trucks and buses, create spray that can lessen visibility, so don’t follow them too closely.
• Be cautious of hydroplaning. This occurs when a thin layer of water accumulates between your tires and the asphalt and your vehicle loses contact with the roadway. You might suddenly feel your vehicle sliding or drifting because you’ve lost traction. If you feel you are hydroplaning, ease your foot off the gas pedal until you regain traction. Do not brake suddenly. If you are sliding or drifting, gently turn your steering wheel in the direction of your slide.

Arizonans face all types of severe weather and need to be ready to take swift action when the weather abruptly changes.