Highlights
- ASU is launching the PHX-DUST scale in June 2026, the first standardized ranking system for Phoenix dust storms.
- Dust storms are Arizona's third deadliest weather hazard, behind flooding and temperature extremes.
- The scale arrives as Phoenix-area storms have caused flight cancellations, power outages, and near-zero visibility in recent monsoon seasons.
- No prior standardized system existed to quantify dust storm danger before this launch.
A new tool for measuring the severity of Phoenix dust storms goes live this month, filling a gap that has left residents, pilots, and emergency managers without a common language for one of the desert's most disruptive hazards.
Arizona State University is launching the Phoenix Dust Storm (PHX-DUST) scale in June 2026, described by ASU as the first standardized ranking system for Phoenix dust storms. The scale arrives after years in which dust storm events ranked as the third deadliest weather hazard in Arizona, behind flooding and temperature extremes, with no quantified way to compare one storm's danger to another's.
The ranking system draws a parallel to tornado measurement: 12News reported that ASU Geographical Science and Urban Planning Teaching Professor Heintzman described the PHX-DUST scale as "kind of similar to the Enhanced Fujita or EF Scale of tornadoes," according to 12News coverage of the launch.
The practical stakes are real for the Phoenix metro. Last August, a major storm slowed traffic, grounded aircraft, and turned day to night across the Valley. The Arizona State Press noted that the Phoenix area saw two major storms in a single month last monsoon season, causing flight cancellations and widespread disruption.
The PHX-DUST scale is expected to be available beginning this month.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- news.asu.edu retrieved 01/06/2026 18:06
- 12News retrieved 01/06/2026 18:06
- statepress.com retrieved 01/06/2026 18:06
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 01/06/2026 18:06. Every claim traces to a source.
