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Arizona is one week into monsoon season, but the chances residents see a good amount of precipitation won’t happen until July.
Until then, hospitals are bracing for the influx of patients to their emergency departments — as if COVID-19 isn’t already giving them problems.
“Monsoon is a busy time for the ER,” said Zach Bair, DO, assistant director of the Emergency Department at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa. “Usually the dust storms and the increased wind causes a lot of problems. Especially anyone who has any sort of chronic respiratory disease. So people with COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthmatics, tend to have problems when those dust storms get moving. So it’s really more related to what’s in the air than the actual monsoon itself.”
In an email, Banner Health said they would provide numbers on visits to the emergency department in the coming days. Check yourvalley.net for an update.
A monsoon is the seasonal reversal in prevailing wind patterns — from a southwest-westerly flow to east-southeasterly — bringing an increase in moisture to the area along with walls of dust and thunderstorms.
The walls of dust are likely to be the first sign that the monsoon has officially arrived in the area, with heavy rain expected to follow soon afterwards. Once those rains hit, a bevy of problems can arise, from decreased visibility to collisions, and flash flooding to drownings.
“One of the risks we see with monsoon season is flash flooding,” Mr. Bair said. “We definitely have seen our share of near drownings and drownings as a result. It’s always a good idea to avoid crossing or getting in moving water. I think a lot of people don’t realize this but a flash flood can occur anywhere even if it’s not raining over your head. I think a lot of people take that for granted.”
Mr. Bair said people who have respiratory ailments are more likely to feel the effects of monsoon conditions immediately.
“If you are exercising during one of these periods of time when the humidity goes way up, you might experience some heat exhaustion due to that. When it’s more humid, it’s difficult for your body to cool itself by perspiring and evaporation. People tend to overheat more the more humid it is.”
The Arizona Department of Transportation has gone from pilot program to full throttle with its $6.5 million dust detection and warning system for the 2020 monsoon season. Visibility detectors, a weather radar system, variable speed limit signs, closed-circuit cameras and overhead message boards are clustered along 10 miles of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson, and are now operating as an innovative dust detection and warning system that’s ready to quickly tell drivers to slow down for safety when windblown dust reduces visibility.
While drivers should be familiar with dust storms and warnings to Pull Aside, Stay Alive, those passing through the detection and warning zone between mileposts 209 and 219 should be ready for the new possibility of reduced speed limits and other warnings.
ADOT offers the following tips for driving in a dust storm:
Avoid driving into or through a dust storm;
If you encounter a dust storm, immediately check traffic around your vehicle — front, back and sides — 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;
Completely exit the highway if you can;
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;
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;
Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake;
Stay in the vehicle with your seatbelts buckled and wait for the storm to pass; and
Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds.
Officials at ADOT hope systems like this help keep drivers aware of their surroundings and lead them to safety before they wind up in an accident — moves emergency departments will certainly appreciate.
“We will see more motor vehicle accidents this time of year, around holidays and around big storms,” Mr. Bair said. “Obviously when the visibility’s decreased, your reaction time comes more into play and you’re more likely to get into an accident if there’s anything going on. That’s why the recommendation is always, ‘If it’s a bad storm, if the visibility is decreased, you should pull off the road and turn off your lights.’”
Residents are encouraged to call their local law enforcement’s non-emergency number or public works department to report monsoon conditions such as downed trees, roadway debris, clogged storm drains or other non-emergency situations. The National Weather Service welcomes untrained storm spotters to message them on Facebook and Twitter.
Some cities, like Surprise, offer free sand and bags to residents in the event of flooding. Check with your community officials for more information on sandbag availabilities.
In the event of a power outage, Arizona Public Service and Salt River Project have outage maps that provide information on who is affected and for how long. Visit www.outagemap.aps.com/outageviewer and www.myaccount.srpnet.com/power/myaccount/outages.
Gov. Doug Ducey proclaimed June 14-20 as 2020 Monsoon Awareness Week to highlight the importance of staying safe during monsoon season and preparing for unsafe weather conditions, including high winds, dust storms, hail, flooding and lightning.
Arizona’s monsoon season begins mid-June and lasts through the end of September. Before 2008, the start date and duration varied based on dew point averages. It used to begin after the third consecutive day of dew points above 55 degrees and ended when it dropped again. However, to reduce confusion, the National Weather Service decided to set dates from June 15-Sept. 30.
“We want all Arizonans to stay safe this monsoon season,” Mr. Ducey stated last week. “During Monsoon Awareness Week, Arizona residents and visitors are reminded of the importance of checking weather reports, pulling over when a dust storm hits and following all safety measures.”
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