Originally posted by Jay Press
Susan,
Where in Arizona are the preferred target areas for lightning during monsoon season? Also, what time of day do they usually originate?
Hi Jay,
Lightning can strike in any part of the state, however, there are a few places where lightning is more prevalent.
Here is a bit of monsoon info for those who have a week or two to experience chasing it:
Monsoon season: 7/7 - 9/13 give or take
What to expect: Sporadic activity in a burst and break pattern.
Weather features:
High winds to 57 mph plus. The plus is key here. A top wind gust that I remember was taken at the Deer Valley Airport in Phx, I believe in 1996, clocked at 115mph. There was a lot of damage that day in the metro area. Microbursts also occur with the collapse of the thunderstorms, leading sometimes to lines down, trees uprooted and structural damage.
Sand and dust storm known as "haboob". Seen pictures in the Middle East? Same thing. Wait until it passes, the sky will clean up and chasing will be better.
Lightning. Type: Branchy, wild, unpredictable CGs, CAs, CCs. The forest service warns hikers in the Chiricahua mountain range in SE Arizona with a small lightning index sign mounted in their visitors center. The scale ranges from None to Constant. I have seen Constant a handful of times. Arizona's lightning is all over the place, often from high based thunderstorms in extreme desert heat. Twice I have photographed bolts from the blue, reaching for miles (go to my gallery if you want to see them on Lightninglady.com, Gallery, then the images "bolt from the blue" and "caprice") Unpredictable stuff.
High heat. Desert air temps go from about 105-115 F degrees in the summer, with the ground temps much hotter. There are three things you'll need to bring in the desert...water, water, and water 8) In the open desert (non urban areas) the temp will drop 15 degrees at sunset, and another 15 or so over the course of the night.
Speaking of water, monsoon rainfall is isolated but torrential. One part of a city can get inches and street flooding, the other part stays dry. The cloudbursts are very obvious.
Flash flood. There's a law out here...literally called the "stupid motorists law". In some cases, if you get yourself stuck in flash floodwaters, you may have to pay for your own rescue. That's a couple grand at least so...best to wait it out. Don't forget the contents of flash floodwaters are a veritable milkshake of dirt, brush, thorny plants, critters, cactus and barbed wire ranch fence. Just let the thing recede or turn around and find another way!
Tornados are rare but not out of the question. Generally though, the above are the prominent features of the desert monsoon. It can get pretty wild, and it also can stay calm for a few days. I chase mostly at night, and it is kinda nice not having to worry about funnels dropping in the dark and large hail that can't be seen. This aspect of Plains chasing is much more dangerous. I can work around the monsoon features at night, and it is nice not having to worry about large hail.
Here are some of my favorite places to lightning chase:
The Lower Verde Valley. This area includes Rio Verde, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Carefree, McDowell Mountain Range. Terrain: Upper Sonoran Desert foothills and mountains. Prominent feature - 8,000 ft Four Peaks Wilderness, giant Saguaro cactus, Mazatzal range to the north, Superstition range to the east, Saguaro Lake. This is part of the Tonto Natl Forest, and one of the areas I chase regularly. Distances are vast. The TNF alone is the size of Connecticut.
The Verde Valley and Prescott, Camp Verde, Black Canyon City. These are north of PHX heading up I17 toward Flagstaff. Terrain: Upper Sonoran Desert foothills and mountains. Very dramatic scenery and vegetation.
The Central Deserts. This includes Casa Grande, Maricopa, Stanfield, Eloy, Marana. Terrain: Wide open desert with valleys and jagged mountain ranges. I often start out there and work my way north. Visibility is awesome and there are services along I-10.
SE Arizona from Tucson east to the Chiricahua Mountain Range. I would chase the I-10 corridor near towns such as Benson, Willcox, Tombstone. I would definitely stay away from the border and towns along the border due to border running, crime and political problems. Terrain: Lower Sonoran Zone, desert to yucca and prairie grassland with very pronounced sky island peaks (such as Mt. Graham at almost 12,000 ft). Lightning prospects very high here, area gets a touch more moisture than other areas. Do be careful though when chasing anywhere in the southern part of the state until the border issues are resolved. It is serious stuff down there.
Another favorite - Payson to the Mogollon Rim. The Rim is the edge of the Colorado Plateau. It is a massive landform - a shelf of 1000-2000 foot cliffs that stretches SE-NW across the state, generally. This would offer extremely dramatic terrain and overlooks for alpine chasing in Payson, Pine, Strawberry, Heber, and the Apache-Sitgreaves forest lands. Advantages: cooler temps, incredible country. Disadvantages: storms build during daylight more often - bad for lightning photography, trees can obstruct view depending, and smoke from wildland fires might be present. Still, those issues are minor compared to the gorgeous scenery and storm prospects. Watch for elk while driving (really, they are huge and plentiful).
I also enjoy the Superstitions - Lost Dutchman state park, Apache Junction, Queen Valley to Superior. From there, you start to climb. It is a windy, two-lane mountain highway to Globe and beyond. Can be very generous lightning-wise!
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is also a lightning hotspot in the state.
Time of day for Monsoon chasing in general - I start about 6pm and can run until 2-3am if storms are about. Monsoon chasing is an evening activity if you're going for the lightning.
Have fun!
:lol:
