summer monsoon

Weathering the Storm: Preparing for Travel Conditions During Arizona's Monsoon Season

Weathering the Storm: Preparing for Travel Conditions During Arizona's Monsoon Season

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Weathering the Storm: Preparing for Travel Conditions During Arizona's Monsoon Season

Weathering the Storm: Preparing for Travel Conditions During Arizona's Monsoon Season

By Alexis Potter / ADOT Communications
June 16, 2023
Thunderstorm US 89 near Bitter Springs

Between the hot temperatures, dust storms and monsoon, Arizona’s summer weather creates the perfect storm for dangerous driving conditions each year (pun intended). 

Since it's Monsoon Awareness Week, which takes place June 11-17 this year, here are some tips and information for traveling during monsoon season:

The No. 1 safest thing to do when there are adverse weather conditions is always to delay travel until the storm has passed.

If you do have to travel, NEVER drive into a flooded area or drive around “Road Closed” signs. Along with putting your own safety at risk, you also risk being cited under Arizona’s Stupid Motorist law, which makes you liable for the cost of any emergency response needed to rescue you, and are putting emergency responders at risk, too.

Along with lightning and sudden, intense downpours, monsoon season also brings strong winds and the possibility of haboobs, or dust storms, which create hazardous driving conditions.

In a dust storm, visibility can drop to zero in an instant. Do not drive into a dust storm. Ever. No matter where you are. However, if you encounter a dust storm and don't have time to exit the highway, remember to “Pull Aside, Stay Alive”:

  1. Immediately check traffic around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down.
  2. Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway -- do it as soon as possible. Completely exit the highway if you can.
  3. Do not stop in a travel lane or in the emergency lane. Look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the roadway.
  4. Turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers. You do not want other vehicles approaching from behind to use your lights as a guide, possibly crashing into your parked vehicle.
  5. Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake.
  6. Stay in the vehicle with your seat belts buckled and wait for the storm to pass.
  7. Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds.

We also have a handy PDF here that you can screenshot or print out to keep in your glove box, just in case you ever find yourself in a dust storm (also available in Español).

Something to watch out for during any rainstorm is the possibility of hydroplaning, which is when your car drifts due to a thin layer of water between your tires and the asphalt. Although it might be your first instinct, do NOT brake suddenly. Instead, ease your foot off the gas until you regain traction and gently turn your steering wheel in the direction you are sliding.

These may seem like common sense, but good reminders for all year are to buckle up, put down your phone and do not drive impaired — that includes driving drowsy! Always get a good night's sleep before a trip.

Find more information, safety driving tips and resources at PullAsideStayAlive.org and azdot.gov/Monsoon. And, of course, you can always find the latest travel conditions, closures, restrictions, alternate routes and more at az511.gov or the AZ511 app.

MORE: Summer Travel Safety Checklist

ADOT’s dust detection system named as a ‘Gamechanger’

ADOT’s dust detection system named as a ‘Gamechanger’

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT’s dust detection system named as a ‘Gamechanger’

ADOT’s dust detection system named as a ‘Gamechanger’

March 24, 2021

The first-of-its-kind dust detection and warning system installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation has been named one of the “Infrastructure Gamechangers” by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The detection system, which was completed by ADOT on a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson in 2020, is among only four highway-related projects recognized nationally this year by the ASCE. The organization recognizes groundbreaking projects that represent the latest advancements in the way engineers plan, build and adapt to infrastructure needs. 

In announcing the national “Gamechangers,” ASCE President Jean-Louis Briaud said, “With resources stretched thin, finding solutions that can make the most of the tools afforded us can driver safety, variable speed corridor, be a challenge, but is an essential component of improving the built environment. ADOT’s dust-monitoring system will keep drivers safe and I-10 drivers moving efficiently. This project highlights the innovative nature of civil engineers, adapting to unique challenges to ensure our systems better serve the public.”

ADOT State Engineer Dallas Hammit added, “This recognition by our engineering peers is gratifying because it acknowledges the tremendous innovation and creativity that has gone into developing a system that will greatly enhance safety for drivers travelling through what can sometimes be a very challenging environment.”

Driving on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson during summer monsoon months can be hazardous when windblown dust reduces visibility, causing dangerous driving conditions. This technology has created an unprecedented innovation that helps increase driver safety. 

“Safety is our first priority and this first-of-its-kind technology answers a real need to make a very busy portion of highway much safer for motorists. It has already proven its effectiveness in recent dust storm events,” said Brent Cain, the director of ADOT’s Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division “Being chosen as an ASCE Gamechanger is a great honor.”

Drivers passing through the detection and warning zone encounter signs saying “Caution: Variable Speed Limit Corridor.” Soon after, a series of programmable speed limit signs every 1,000 feet can change the legal speed limit from 75 mph to as low as 35 mph. Additional variable speed limit signs are placed every 2 miles.

Overhead electronic message boards in and near the corridor alert drivers to blowing dust and warn them to slow down. Speed feedback signs inform drivers of their actual speeds.

Thirteen visibility sensors mounted on posts along the freeway use light beams to determine the density of dust particles in the air. Once visibility drops to certain levels, the system activates overhead message boards and the variable speed limit signs.

The sensors are complemented by a weather radar on a 20-foot tower at I-10 and State Route 87. It can detect storms more than 40 miles away, providing additional warning of incoming storms to ADOT and forecasters at the National Weather Service.

This technology is monitored by ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center in Phoenix, where staff can see real-time information on conditions such as the speed and flow of traffic. Closed-circuit cameras provide visual confirmation of conditions along the roadway and in the distance.

For additional information on dust storms and safety: www.pullasidestayalive.org