I recently discovered the Tornado Titans channel on YouTube. As a severe weather enthusiast, I’m really enjoying the content they’re sharing. Here’s a quick look at a SE Arizona Monsoon.
Storm Chasing.
Daydreaming.
Speaking of storm chasing (in my previous entry), I’m already planning ahead for 2023 storm chasing trip. Last year I went storm chasing for a week in the first half of the month of June. Weather patterns had me up in Nebraska and Kansas for the experience. I’m thinking in 2023 I’m going to go a little earlier in the season and focus on southern Oklahoma and northern Texas. I still venture farther north if I have to, but I want to check out another part of the country while chasing storms across the flatlands.
My husband is supportive of the endeavor. I asked him if he’d like to join me on the chase in 2023 and he declined. His response, “rent a car, get plenty of renter’s insurance, and don’t get killed”.
This is why we’ve been married for nearly 26 years. He gets me.
Lightning.
So we’re up to three nights in a row of thunderstorms here in the desert. This is rather enjoyable.
More Storms.
Its well beyond monsoon season but another Nature continues to be in a stormy mood.
While out for my walk yesterday afternoon I noticed more air traffic than usual overhead. A little digging into Twitter and it turns out Phoenix has being hit with 50+ MPH winds and an impressive sandstorm, so inbound flights to Sky Harbor were in holding patterns over Tucson. This ties in well with my instrument training currently in progress as Ive been practicing these types of holds in much smaller airplanes.
Heres one of the tracks of holding airliners overhead during the sandstorm.
It looks like this pilot wanted to do their own thing, though.
I enjoy storms, as long as Im not flying in them.
Monsoon.
The Monsoon has ramped up in these parts. Looking at the weather radar as I write this (21:27 / 9:27 PM MST), there’s a bunch of storms headed in our general direction from Mexico. We’ll see if they make it up here tonight.
In the meanwhile, during our adventures today we saw lots of lightning. Lightning is cool.
Lightning.
I followed two impressive thunderstorms today, mostly around Garden City and Dodge City, Kansas. The lightning was quite impressive.
The daylight storm was very impressive with its winds as well. I needed two hands firmly on the steering wheel to keep the car on the roadway.
I trailed the nighttime storm, getting close to it, taking some photos, and then catching it again.
A great afternoon and evening of storm chasing.
