Storm Watch 2010

Each summer I activate Storm Watch. I've done so since I was 16 years old, working out on the lake during Monsoon Season. Theoretically, the monsoons down in the ocean kick up some moisture and push it towards Arizona in the months of July and August. In years past this has resulted in HUGE storms with heavy sudden rainfall and flooding for our community. The desert doesn't soak up the water--it runs it off into washes and down streets. The lightning and thunder and magnificent, and we enjoy a brief respite from the 115 degree heat when these storms build up in the afternoon.

Alas, for several years now we've been in a drought and we haven't had the great storms to cool us off in the hottest of the summer months.

This year has been particularly disappointing because we have had NOT ONE INCH of measurable rain since May. Not even clouds. Nothing, that is, till this week. We finally got a little thrill from Mother Nature. And Storm Watch, 2010 was activated.

Here's our household weather center. The kitchen window with the laptop right next to it displaying the satellite weather map:



We anticipate the clouds, the thunder....



We run outside gleefully as the clouds open up and produce......



Then we slowly make our way back inside as we realize that the rain is not coming anywhere near us.

Last night was neat, though, because we had thunder and lightning for several hours. Steve and I fell asleep with the blinds open in the bedroom so we could watch the flashes.
Of course I tried to photograph them. Didn't work out. Gotta have a much better camera for lightning photography.