PHOENIX — How many dust storms does the Valley get? And is anyone keeping track?

It turns out that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) does.

NOAA's definition of "dust storm" generally means dusty conditions with 1/4 mile of visibility or less or creating injury or death. The agency keeps the data online, showing each dust storm report and any potential damage it might have done.

12News crunched the numbers in that data, removing duplicate entries that show the same dust storm moving through adjacent areas, and focusing only on Maricopa County's dust storm reports.

The data for Maricopa County shows that in 2022, there were 15 dust storms. So far this year, there have only been three, but monsoon is far from over.

Storm chaser Mike Olbinski was out in the dese

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