Monsoon Rain

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Ok so our weather would be considered perfect by most given the sunshine and cloudless days. However, I still miss the monsoon rain. Don’t get me wrong, the 80 degree cloudless days are a welcome relief from the scorching days of summer but I still prefer a good storm chase.

Arizona Monsoon Rain Storm

Our stormy season known as the “monsoon” here in Arizona just ended not too long ago. With that ending brings to close another season of storm chasing for me and my fellow chasers. Its sad to think about and many I’m sure would say I’m nuts. I understand that for many it is just a thunderstorm, or the “I just washed my car and now its raining” resentment. But here in Arizona we have some of the best electrical storms you can imagine. Couple those with dust storms known as haboobs and you have a storm chasers playground to die for.

This season was not as good as I hoped it would be.  My day job limited me at times from being able to take off and chase to the extent I had wanted. Of course on the flip side it pays the bills so it is not a bad trade. My goal next season will be to plan better (if that’s possible) during the summer peak and get out more.

The monsoon rain storm you see above I captured on our way to a weekend camping trip to Flagstaff. As we were headed north on I17 we drove up on this beauty of a storm. I pulled over and jumped out to grab a few shots while my family patiently waited.  Well, my kids were not that patient as they yelled at me as soon as I was set up. Nonetheless I was able to grab a few shots and then continue on to our campsite.

Photographing storm systems like these is such a rush for me. This one happened to be a surprise since I wasn’t technically chasing.  Of course I did have my wife checking the radar ever so often on the drive up just to be safe.

Until next time…