A sea of fog surrounds Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona.
It’s been a quiet winter with very few storms so when we finally got a storm I wanted to try and get some morning sunrise fog shots. I awoke early to check radar and satellite data. I was both surprised and disappointed that my favorite locations appeared to be cloud and fog free. On the other hand, satellite data showed an extensive area of fog and low clouds near Sedona and into the Verde Valley. I quickly headed down Oak Creek Canyon to a location in Sedona that has a great view for these types of events.
A wide-angle shot with Cathedral Rock in the distance. A few minutes later the fog surged northward.Fog begins to wrap around red rock buttresses in Sedona.
At first the fog was fairly distant to the south and visibility was very good in all directions. I was able to see Cathedral Rock poking through the fog. But over the next few minutes the fog surged northward and soon I was in the thick of it with low visibility.
Fog and mist partially obscure the red rock buttresses in Sedona, Arizona.A zoomed-in shot of the fog obscuring the red rock in Sedona, Arizona.
I headed to another viewpoint hoping there would be some sun shining through the fog. For a few minutes it did. And then the fog thickened again.
Overall I was pretty happy with the fog and photo session–especially since I haven’t had many chances this winter. And the weather forecast looks warm and dry. Boring.
West Fork Oak Creek. This is the “Subway” section of the canyon.
A week of cold overnight temperatures has allowed ice to form on West Fork of Oak Creek–so this was a good time to hike the canyon. Winter visitation is fairly light so getting a parking spot is easy and we encountered only a handful of hikers on the trail. So it is definitly more enjoyable in the winter.
Icicles hang from the canyon wall in West Fork Oak Creek.There are no waterfalls in West Fork Oak Creek. This is the closest thing with a small cascade of water pouring over the sandstone.Intricate designs in the ice abound in the canyon. This was also an attempt at focus stacking.
There was ice on the creek but there was also open areas of running water. It required some care making the numerous stream crossings to step on logs or rocks and not to put too much weight on the ice. A big difference from previous winter hikes was the lack of snow. Although we carried foot traction devices (i.e., Kahtoola microspikes) we did not need them.
At the “Subway”, a narrow, high-walled section of the canyon with wall-to-wall water, the ice was probably not thick enough to ensure safe passage through this section. Some of it was firm but there was still open water in the middle of the channel. Opting for safety, we let this be our turn-around spot.
There are several cliffs in the canyon with significant water seeps. Water drips from the large icicles and refreezes at the ground creating free-standing ice stalactives as well as encasing grasses and small stems in strange and bizarre shapes.
There are several cliffs in the canyon with significant water seeps. Water drips from the large icicles and then refreezes at the ground creating free-standing ice stalactites as well as encasing grasses and small stems in strange and bizarre shapes.
Ice sculpture from dripping icicles above.Detailed view of ice crystals in West Fork Oak Creek.
I looked back at the many times we have done this in the winter and the conclusion that I can draw is that it requires multiple nights of sub-zero temperatures (generally -5 to -10°F or colder) to produce safe ice. The recent cold temperatures were single-digit readings but above zero. Not cold enough.
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Here are some older entries about hiking West Fork in the winter:
Storms in August were more plentiful than in July although there were still some extended breaks in the monsoon. Rainbows remained elusive for me. I was able to photograph a few that displayed short segments but I never captured a full rainbow. Lightning, on the other hand, was plentiful and I did well in that genre.
Here is a partial summary of August monsoon photography.
04 August 2024
Mormon Lake Overlook is a short drive from Flagstaff and affords an amazing 360° view. This was one of the many days with only a partial rainbow but the juxtaposition of the rainbow and the tree in the grasslands of Anderson Mesa was a pleasing composition. A few minutes later the Sun beautifully illuminated some light rain falling from a dissipating thunderstorm. The color was intense and only lasted a few minutes.
A short segment of a rainbow above the grasslands of Anderson Mesa in northern Arizona.A curtain of light rain from a dissipating thunderstorm is brilliantly illuminated by the setting sun.
After an early start to the monsoon in late June, the monsoon went on an extended break. For much of July, high pressure remained to our west resulting in northwest to northeast flow across the region. Consequently, tropical moisture had to take the long route over the eastern Pacific Ocean, across the Pacific Northwest, then southward across the High Plains and Rocky Mountains. By the time it arrived, much of the moisture had been depleted, especially in the lower levels. The resulting storms were generally weak and produced little rain, and even less lightning.
Here is a summary of what I did manage to photograph during that period.
11 July 2024
Weak storms produced little in the way of rain but did result in a nice sunset.
Sunset and reflected sunlight on Lake Mary.
15 July 2024
A few strong storms formed on the north side of the San Francisco Peaks and I positioned myself at the entry to Wupatki National Monument. There was very little lightning but I did get this photograph that shows the landing point of the bolt. I also got power poles.
Lightning on the north side of the San Francisco Peak showing the landing point of the bolt.
16 July 2024
Radar indicated some storms south of Mormon Lake–a favorite spot for shooting storms because of its expansive views. This storm produced only a few visible bolts of lightning but I did manage to capture this one–along with the waxing gibbous Moon.
Distant thunderstorm with lightning.
21 July 2024
While taking a short hike to Alfa Fia Tank near Snowbowl and the San Francisco Peaks I was happy to see some convection developing that had nice reflections in the water. Look closely and you will also see the ducks.
Reflection of developing storms in Alfa Fia Tank near Snowbowl in the San Francisco Peaks.
23 July 2024
I was confident that Grand Canyon would produce good storms with possibilities for lightning and rainbows. It didn’t. The best I could do was shoot this ultra-wide view of the clouds using a 12mm fisheye lens.
Ultra-wide angle view of Grand Canyon from Navajo Point.
24 July 2024
The next day in Sedona was a bit better. Although there was some lightning I managed to miss it all because it was never in the direction that the camera was pointed. Look carefully in the upper left corner of this image and you can just barely see a few filaments of the lightning stroke which occurred to the left of the camera. I should have shot this with a wider field of view. On the other hand, the sunset was pretty good.
Heavy rain falling from a monsoon thunderstorm.Another great sunset in Sedona, Arizona.Sunset in Sedona.
26 July 2024
A few days later I tried something different and concentrated on getting the very early stages of convective development over the San Francisco Peaks. A bonus was catching the reflections of the clouds in Marshall Lake. By the time I left there was lightning and I was able to capture a few bolts.
Reflection of developing clouds in Marshall Lake, Arizona.Reflection of developing clouds in Marshall Lake, Arizona.Lightning over Marshall Lake with the San Francisco Peaks in the distance.
Time-lapse of convection developing over the San Francisco Peaks (200x speed).
While shooting these still images I had another camera capturing time-lapse video. It’s always fun to see the development of clouds in time lapse.
26 July 2024
This was a last-minute decision as the radar showed storms developing west of Flagstaff. I drove to Mormon Lake hoping for sunsets, rainbows, and lightning. Two out of three isn’t bad.
Sunset colors on thunderstorms and anvil clouds.Lightning west of the San Francisco Peaks.In-cloud lightning in the anvil of a thunderstorm.Lightning from a distant storm located over Grand Canyon. Wish I had been at the Canyon.Radar screen capture showing location of storm relative to my position.
This storm was located over Grand Canyon and was producing lightning bolts into the canyon. I wish I had been there instead.
How hot was July, anyway?
July 2024 was the second hottest July on record. Only July 2023 was hotter.
Number of days with the maximum temperature >=90°F in Flagstaff. 2024 was the second hottest July; only 2023 was hotter.Mean monthly temperature for July. 2024 was the second hottest July on record; only 2023 was hotter.July total rainfall from the Flagstaff raingauge network.
Total rainfall for the month was below average but not anywhere near record territory. Thank goodness for that!
The North American Monsoon got an early start in northern Arizona this year with copious amounts of precipitation over the San Francisco Peaks and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, we are now experiencing an extended monsoon break with mostly clear skies and hot temperatures.
Here are some photograph taken during that wet period.
A partial rainbow over Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona.The rainbow is gone but sunset colors are seen in the clouds and the reflection in the lake.A partial rainbow over the grasslands of Wupatki National Monument.A zoomed-in segment of the rainbow showing supernumary bows.Sunset at Wukoki Pueblo in Wupatki National Monument.
Here are the June rainfall totals from the Flagstaff rain gauge network.
June rainfall totals for the Flagstaff raingage network.
