Category: Photography

North American Monsoon—July 2026

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Distant storms produce large anvils with mammatus on the undersides.

We are once again in the North American Monsoon season. This year’s monsoon began slowly with a few false starts in early July but arrived in earnest by the middle of the month. And what a wet period the second half of the month was over parts of northern Arizona. Rainfall measured at the Flagstaff airport was 3.63″ compared to the 30-year (1991–2020) average of 2.61″ and the total period of record (1898–2026) of 2.74″.

07 July 2026

The summer monsoon hadn’t really started yet—but there was enough moisture available to get a few cumuliform clouds and a nice sunset. It was a good practice session for what was to follow.

Light from the setting sun illuminates the base of clouds over Anderson Mesa in northern Arizona.
Light from the setting sun illuminates the base of clouds over Anderson Mesa in northern Arizona.
A few clouds glow with the light of the setting sun while smoke from the Pocket Fire can be seen just above the horizon.
A few clouds glow with the light of the setting sun while smoke from the Pocket Fire can be seen just above the horizon.

18 July 2026

Monsoon moisture finally arrived and big storms were present. The sunset light on the clouds and rain was remarkable!

Several large thunderstorms over central Arizona.
Several large thunderstorms over central Arizona.
As the sun set it illuminated both clouds and rain creating this amazing red sunset sky.
As the sun set it illuminated both clouds and rain creating this amazing red sunset sky.
Add a bit of lightning and the sky becomes truly wild.
Add a bit of lightning and the sky becomes truly wild.
A few more lightning flashes light up the sky with the San Francisco Peaks visible in the distance.
A few more lightning flashes light up the sky with the San Francisco Peaks visible in the distance.
Cool, moist outflow from distant storms created this impressive shelf cloud.
Cool, moist outflow from distant storms created this impressive shelf cloud.

20 July 2026

Thunderstorms began in late morning and by noontime were producing lightning over the San Francisco Peaks. As the storms moved away from the Peaks there was a nice display of mammatus clouds.

A composite of five shots in a 4-minute period of lightning strikes on the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff.
A composite of five shots in a 4-minute period of lightning strikes on the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff.
The storms produced hail over the higher elevations of the peaks.
The storms produced hail over the higher elevations of the peaks.
A beautiful display of cumulonimbus mammatus clouds over Flagstaff.
A beautiful display of cumulonimbus mammatus clouds over Flagstaff.

26 July 2026

This was another day with early afternoon convection producing lighting strikes on the San Francisco Peaks.

Lightning strikes the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff.
Lightning strikes the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff.
Lightning strikes the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff.
Lightning strikes the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff.

27 July 2026

The storms on this day were truly dramatic. The original plan was to shoot the nearly full Moon as it rose behind Cathedral Rock in Sedona but storms and clouds required a Plan B. And it was a good Plan B.

Distant storms produce large anvils with mammatus on the undersides.
Distant storms produce large anvils with mammatus on the undersides.
Late afternoon sun illuminates distant storms and produces beautiful colors on the anvils.
Late afternoon sun illuminates distant storms and produces beautiful colors on the anvils.
The setting sun illuminates the anvil remains of earlier thunderstorms.
The setting sun illuminates the anvil remains of earlier thunderstorms.

29 July 2026

Fewer storms were present on this day as a drying trend began across Arizona. But there were still some great storms with lightning.

Distant storm over eastern Arizona.
Distant storm over eastern Arizona.
Thunderstorm with multi-branched cloud-to-ground lightning on the grasslands of Anderson Mesa.
Thunderstorm with multi-branched cloud-to-ground lightning on the grasslands of Anderson Mesa.

30 July 2026

The drying trend continued and even fewer storms were present but once again lightning and rainbows could be found.

Thunderstorm with lightning with a vast grassland in the foreground.
Thunderstorm with lightning with a vast grassland in the foreground.
Thunderstorm with lightning with a vast grassland in the foreground.
Thunderstorm with lightning with a vast grassland in the foreground.
Thunderstorms with lightning and a short rainbow segment.
Thunderstorms with lightning and a short rainbow segment.
Zoomed-in view of the rainbow.
Zoomed-in view of the rainbow.
Last light on a dissipating thunderstorm behind Mormon Mountain.
Last light on a dissipating thunderstorm behind Mormon Mountain.
Rainfall totals for July 2026 from the Flagstaff raingauge network.
Rainfall totals for July 2026 from the Flagstaff raingauge network.

The monsoon burst of mid-to-late July is over and we are now in a monsoon break period. Hopefully we will see another active period soon.

Wildflowers and Running

Wildflower photographs and trail running. It’s a nice match.

I typically carry the small Sony RX100 VII camera when I go on trail runs. It easily fits into my waist pack or on the shoulder strap of my Camelbak water pack so it is always handy. Running should be about having fun and stopping to photograph the flowers makes for a fun adventure.

Wildflowers seen on Schultz Creek Trail north of Flagstaff, Arizona.
Wildflowers seen on Schultz Creek Trail north of Flagstaff, Arizona.
  • Evening primrose
  • Penstemon
  • Coralroot
  • Yellow salsify
  • Trail map
  • Columbine
  • Deerbrush
  • Cryptanthas
  • Penstemon

Sometimes all you need to do is walk out into your backyard and adjacent open spaces to see a variety of wildflowers. For these shorter trips, I carry the Sony RX10 IV.

Wildflowers seen in my backyard and adjacent open space.
Wildflowers seen in my backyard and adjacent open space.
  • Prickly pear cactus
  • Milkweed with a pollen wasp
  • Sticky geranium
  • Sonoran bean
  • Bluehead gilia
  • Prairie coneflower
  • Fleabane
  • Lupine
  • Flax

Both cameras have a zoom lens (24-200 on the RX100; 24-600 on the RX10) allowing me to get closeups of the flowers without having to get too close.

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS)—April 2026

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 17 April 2026. Photographed from the west side of Mormon Lake. Nikon D850, 35mm, ƒ/1.8, ISO 200, 2x120 seconds (composite of two images: one for the foreground; one for the sky).

I was very happy to be able to see and to photograph Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) during a two-week period in the middle of April. Later in the month it became more difficult to see the comet in the morning twilight. After it made its closest approach to the Sun it flipped into the evening sky but by that time it was best seen from the Southern Hemisphere. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere had already had a great show from this comet.

From Wikipedia:

C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is a hyperbolic Oort cloud comet and passed perihelion on 19 April 2026 when it was 75 million km from the Sun. Around perihelion it reached about an apparent magnitude of +3. The comet was discovered by PanSTARRS in images obtained on 8 September 2025. By 20 March 2026 it became visible in 10×50 binoculars. As of May, the comet has faded, moved into the southern skies, and will require binoculars or a camera to locate.

I photographed the comet from two locations: the west side of Mormon Lake in the small pullout; and from Ashurst Lake overlooking the water. I was hoping for some reflections of the comet in the lake waters (as I had from Comet C/2023 A3) but was not successful.

Here are several photographs of Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) from April 2026.

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 09 April 2026. Photographed from the west side of Mormon Lake. Nikon D850, 80mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 400, 8x60 seconds. Images stacked with Siril.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 09 April 2026. Photographed from the west side of Mormon Lake. Nikon D850, 80mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 400, 8×60 seconds. Images stacked with Siril.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 12 April 2026. Photographed from Ashurst Lake. Nikon D850, 35mm, ƒ/1.8, ISO 100, 2x240 seconds (composite of two images: one for the foreground; one for the sky).
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 12 April 2026. Photographed from Ashurst Lake. Nikon D850, 35mm, ƒ/1.8, ISO 100, 2×240 seconds (composite of two images: one for the foreground; one for the sky).
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16x120 seconds. Stacked with Siril.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16×120 seconds. Stacked with Siril.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16x120 seconds. Stacked with Siril then inverted into a black-and-white negative image.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16×120 seconds. Stacked with Siril then inverted into a black-and-white negative image.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16x120 seconds. Stacked with Siril then star removal using StarNet software.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 15 April 2026. Nikon D850, 180mm, ƒ/4.0, ISO 800, 16×120 seconds. Stacked with Siril then star removal using StarNet software.
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 17 April 2026. Photographed from the west side of Mormon Lake. Nikon D850, 35mm, ƒ/1.8, ISO 200, 2x120 seconds (composite of two images: one for the foreground; one for the sky).
Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 17 April 2026. Photographed from the west side of Mormon Lake. Nikon D850, 35mm, ƒ/1.8, ISO 200, 2×120 seconds (composite of two images: one for the foreground; one for the sky).

In July/August, Comet 10P/Tempel 2 should be a good camera target although it is not expected to reach unaided eye brightness.

Trail Running in April

The good news was precipitation was slightly above normal in April (measured: 1.02″; normal: 0.89″) although it mostly fell as rain and not as snow (measured: 0.3″; normal: 5.0″). The moisture helped keep the trails in great shape. Only towards the end of the month did the trails start to become dusty.

Kelly Canyon

This is an out-and-back that can start from either the top or bottom of the canyon. We chose to start low because there would be water at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash and I wanted to visit it earlier in the day. Good choice.

Early morning light at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash.
Early morning light at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash.
Mid-morning light at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash.
Mid-morning light at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash.
Some wildflowers (valerian) to gaze at as we run the canyon.
Some wildflowers (valerian) to gaze at as we run the canyon.
Running up the canyon.
Running up the canyon.
Sometimes you run; sometimes you walk.
Sometimes you run; sometimes you walk.

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Trail Running in March

The warm and dry winter continued into March with some extraordinary high temperature records all across the west in the latter part of the month. Consequently, we were able to run in Flagstaff on dry trails as well as in Sedona. In fact, it was so warm in Sedona on some of these runs that we started our runs earlier in the morning to avoid the heat. Cooler temperatures and rain finally arrived on the last day of the month.

Earls Loop

This is mostly an out-and-back with a loop at the far end (“lollipop loop”) and is not a well-known trail. That’s because the trail does not appear on modern maps. It still gets some regular traffic from hikers, runners, and mountain bikers (even though some of it traverses a wilderness area).

A runner on the Earl's Loop Trail in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness.
A runner on the Earl’s Loop Trail in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness.
Water-worn channels in the sandstone of Dry Creek.
Water-worn channels in the sandstone of Dry Creek.
Posing at the far point of the Earl's Loop trail.
Posing at the far point of the Earl’s Loop trail.
Wildflowers on the Earl's Loop Trail.
Wildflowers on the Earl’s Loop Trail.

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