New technology to improve dust storm warning for Arizona drivers

PHOENIX — New technology will help keep Arizona drivers safe during dust storms.

Starting this summer, an improved dust-storm alert system will narrow the areas that get dust storm text alerts.

Ken Drozd, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tucson, said this will help to better target the people directly affected by a dust storm.

“Only if you’re actually in the dust storm warning [area], then you’ll get the alert,” he said. “Or say you drive into the warned area on the I-10, for example, at that time even if it’s 10-15 minutes after we issued the warning, you’ll still get the alert.”

Currently, dust storm text alerts are sent out to the entire county where the storm is being detected rather than just the area affected. Drozd said this caused people to feel they were getting too many dust storm text alerts.

The new technology being used to make the dust storm text alerts more precise is the same one already being used for flash flood warnings.

In addition to improving dust storm text alerts, the Arizona Department of Transportation is installing new cameras and radars along the I-10 near Picacho Peak. It’s part of a widening project in the area.

Drozd said major accidents have been happening in that area over the last year years.  He said the goal of the cameras and radars is to let drivers there know about approaching dust storms.

“That way we can get the word out sooner…and hopefully drivers will take appropriate actions to not get involved in an accident,” he said.

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