FAQ: Chasing the Southwestern Monsoon

[Susan Strom]

Monsoon season, June 15 - Sept 30, officially starts today in Arizona. In Phoenix, realistically it is more like early July through Sept 10 or so. The start and end of the "realistic" season for Phoenix is usually the most dramatic. If you want an earlier season, you have to start with southeast Arizona or the eastern mountains. Crazy lightning is the main chase attraction. Sandstorms, flash floods, and the color of the stormy skies can be dramatic too. A major plus is interesting foregrounds with your storm. Arizona is full of mountains, deserts, forests, canyons, lakes, and many choices of terrain. Night chasing gives relief from the heat, and forested mountains offer cooler temps. Do not cross immigration or drug smuggling corridors. Be careful too in the borderlands, although the activity is not just limited to the border. Be careful of mine shafts. Distances are vast between services, best to keep tanks full, lots of water, and I like mineral packets too from the vitamin store. AZ is 116,000 sq mi. The eastern and southeastern part of the state becomes active first, moving westward as the season goes on.

I don't drive across flooded roads either, they are full of sand, cactus, and logs. Maybe the pavement is missing too. We also have a law where if you get stuck, you have to pay your rescue bill too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn83iFfCdDE&sns=em

 

[Will Wilkens]

Susan, signs of monsoon season appear to be underway, almost on queue of the June 15 start. Good southerly flow in eastern/southeastern AZ underway with moisture in place in the Sierra Madres and plateau region of nw Mexico. Hoping this verifies! I am really looking forward to a great season this year.

 

[Greg Campbell]

The Sierra Vista area got plastered Friday, with a few scattered evening storms over the Tucson area later that night. First lightning photo (a decidedly underwhelming effort!) of the year recorded in a small storm hovering over Reddington Pass. Saturday afternoon brought 0.33' of rain and the welcome sound of thunder. The next week or so looks rather dry.

 

[Jeremy Perez]

The 2013 Southwest Monsoon season still has some time to go. Before it moves into the interesting transition period later this month, I wanted to post some highlight photos. Except for the lightning shots, the rest of the shots were taken with an iPhone. It has drawbacks with noise, especially in low light areas, but it's so handy, and always with me that I'm getting shots that I otherwise might not be prepared for. (Which means I need to make an effort to keep my camera with me more often.)

Click the images for larger versions.


July 2, 2013

Panorama of a storm developing south of Flagstaff as seen near I-40 and 4th Street at 2:18 PM.
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130702_IMG_0748-Edit_md.jpg[/url]

New development overhead a few minutes later was drawing in a bit of vorticity and sculpting a small, brief cinnamon bun into the cloud base.
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130702_IMG_0751-Edit_md.jpg[/url]


July 3, 2013

The base of a dying updraft over east Flagstaff tapers to a point.
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130703_IMG_0771-Edit_md.jpg[/url]

The dwindling remnants of the eroding storm base reveals a slowly rotating spindle--not rapid enough to even be a shear funnel.
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130703_IMG_0772-Edit_md.jpg[/url]


July 4, 2013

An active storm north of Mt. Elden puts on a beautiful show of ongoing anvil crawlers.
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130704_IMG_9528-Edit_md.jpg[/url]

[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130704_IMG_9535-Edit_md.jpg[/url]


July 11, 2013

Pop-up convection develops west of Flagstaff as seen from Rt. 66 in east Flagstaff.
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130711_IMG_0785-Edit_md.jpg[/url]


July 20, 2013

Lightning flickers behind a weak gust front east of Flagstaff as seen from Rt. 66.
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130720_IMG_9598-Edit-Edit_md.jpg[/url]

[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130720_IMG_9602-Edit-Edit_md.jpg[/url]


July 23, 2013

Inflow, chilled by heavy precipitation, creates a rugged lowering in the rain free base of this storm over Schultz Pass. As seen from 4th Street in central Flagstaff
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130723_IMG_0827-Edit_md.jpg[/url]


August 23, 2013

Dry outflow pushes a growing wall of dust northward from Tucson, as Picacho Peak rises above the dust and desert floor. The photo was taken by my wife as we drove north on I-10 toward Phoenix.
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130823_IMG_1052-Edit_md.jpg[/url]


August 26, 2013

An ominous haboob blew into Phoenix, featuring a laminar updraft, intermittent shelf cloud and spectacular lightning after the gust front passed. This view is facing southeast as seen from near central Phoenix.
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130826_IMG_1080-Edit_md.jpg[/url]


September 2, 2013

A beautifully lit and structured thunderstorm brews over the San Francisco Peaks as seen from Highway 89 in northeast Flagstaff.
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130902_IMG_1135-Edit-Edit_md.jpg[/url]

[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130902_IMG_1136-Edit_md.jpg[/url]

[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130902_IMG_1157-Edit_md.jpg[/url]


September 7, 2013

Looking south as a clump of northbound thunderstorms pushes a ragged shelf cloud into east Flagstaff.
[Broken External Image]:[URL]http://www.perezmedia.net/ceruleanarc/images/2013/img20130907_ShelfCloud_20130907_md.jpg[/url]

I wish Susan Strom were still with us to post her captures and perspectives of the 2013 season. She will be missed.

 

[Stephen Levine]

D. Armstrong, I especially love your Albuquerque lightning! Would make a lovely postcard! Thank you for sharing this beauty!!!!

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

Anyone getting ready for 2015 season part 2?

Love when monsoon starts here in Colorado. Means near nightly lightning opportunities for a month or so.

Hasn't been great for me for the last couple years, but hoping to get back into form this season.

 

[Jeremy Perez]

@Marc R. O'Leary
Hey Marc, definitely getting ready and already getting into it in Arizona. We had a couple days of 25-35 kt bulk shear running around the southern side of the upper level high this week. Really interesting. Supercells in southern Arizona Tuesday and then northern Arizona had its turn yesterday. Lots of great shots and experiences coming out of those. I hope the summer bonus round is good to you this year.

Probably wouldn't hurt to fire up a 2015 Monsoon thread in the advanced forum.

 

[Kevin Rimcoski]

I've got a few (amatuer) photos of those supercells from Tuesday. Managed to get on the storm that rolled off Mt. Lemmon heading SW dropping slightly bigger than golf ball sized hail. Damaged the car nicely. Even Sierra Vista was tornad warned, and got my first lightning bolt which I don't think camr out too bad considering I didn't use a tripod. Need to get better with camera lighting but this was my first time ever using a DSLR as well.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Troy Q Nelson]

Fantastic thread, Susan! Such great information from all! I too feel.in love with the Monsoon, I had the pleasure of chasing it in 2016. One of the greatest experiences of my life and I will go back again. Thought I would share some of my favorite photos from the trip.

 

[Troy Q Nelson]

Sorry for the duplication, I only uploaded each photo one time.

 

[Michael Gavan]

With Mike Olbinski's help, I put together basically what this thread opens with, but in educational video form after chasing the Desert Southwest Monsoon for the first time this past summer. It's complete with weather graphics, animations, video, etc. I'd like to thank Susan Strom for the healthy amount of inspiration for this one. I think I first read this thread in 2011! I followed much the same concept--Subvert expectations, start with climatology, explain some of the etymology, discuss the hazards and reasons the desert southwest monsoon is so interesting.

 

[James Taylor]

Great vid! hope to get over for a Haboib one day!