Monsoon magic brings delightful clouds, rainbows, crepuscular rays, and plays of light and shadows. All the activity increases *negative ions and that’s not a bad thing.
Clear skies are usually full of positive energy, and that might sound good and happy under clear blue sky. However, our bodies tend toward negative energy that is drawn from the Earth and stormy skies. It’s all about balance.
Boy, I needed me some of that energy as much as the parched soil needs water. Been feeling lazy with no ambition. It’s been hot. Even without rain, monsoon causes an increase in humidity. Anything over 30% feels muggy to me. I know that’s still dry heat to many. It’s all relevant to what we grow accustomed to. That means, running the AC, which I’m not fond of plus shudder at the electric consumption. Mammatus clouds hung heavy with water yet barely gave a drop.
Years ago while working at Grand Canyon, I described the science behind monsoon here. The summer weather predictions are repetitive to the point of boredom. Likely rain and thunderstorm activity typically begins after 11am, comes and goes intermittently, and ends by 11pm. Sometimes, it rains.
The cloud show captivates as cumulus clouds (fluffy and white with flat bottoms) gather into cumulonimbus clouds with darker bottoms that may produce thunderstorms.
Most dramatic is the isolated mushroom cloud formed from water vapor forced upward by powerful upper-air currents.
Mammatus clouds at sunset
Clouds continued to gather all around filled with distant rumbles. Then wind dropped the temperature and gentle female rain fell for 30 minutes. I felt the increase in negative ions and smiled.
By mid-week I figured the monsoon pattern had truly arrived. I turned on the AC at 8am, already 80° and 43% humidity. I turned it back off around noon when it started to rain. For an hour the rain teased with light sporadic fall. Suddenly the wind increased and lightning occurred close enough to make me jump. Storm energy feels awesome, even when it rocks the house. The smell was intoxicating. As the wind and rain increased in intensity I ran around closing windows to a sideways downpour. Thank goodness for some jalousie windows to let in air and no water. I felt exhilarated, high without drugs. The negative ions were palpable. The tantalizing high didn’t last long, but the feel good stuck around. I continued to almost run in small circles from window to window. I could only make photos with my eyes through the sheeting of water on glass. I took a small piece of video. For almost two hours the storm rocked and boomed, and then it moved on leaving soft rumbles and a cool breeze with barely dampened ground. I went outside and took more video.
What an incredible Wowzer day! And it ended with a touch more rain and a huge, full double rainbow. I felt the alive of summer monsoon.
After that, the skies have mostly cleared and I haven’t felt a drop since. I went back to my mundane ways, working on videos. You should check out the video from 4th of July that includes so much more of this week filled with monsoon and negative ions, and maybe just a little of negative me (but no fireworks). Plus check my Geogypsy YouTube channel later this week for a hint of what’s to come.
Window Wildlife- gray squirrel and roadrunner (bee-beep)
*Negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase our levels of serotonin, which improves our mood and helps to alleviate depression, relieve stress and boost our energy. This energy is absorbed through skin and comes from water, air, and all of nature. You probably already knew that.
WANTED: house/cat sitter, or StayCATion for you, in my 36′ 5th-wheel for one week in Skull Valley Arizona only 30 minutes from Prescott. This shot is in the small camper.
I think the SW may be in permanent water trouble but the SE and S are going to be in heat trouble without the energy necessary to run air conditioning nearly 24/7 for 6 months of the year. It wasn’t until Carrier that the south began to draw increased populations. Your weather sounds like mine here in the North Carolina mountains. Rain predictions everyday – usually beginning at 1pm and continuing some times through the night. This place is a rainforest. The opposite of where you are. Love your first photograph. I can almost feel the negative ions. And the great Mammatus clouds at sunset. WOW! You are right that storm energy feels awesome. The pink inside the double rainbow is a fantastic picture as is Queen Sierra on her throne.
You’re getting lots of negative ions at those waterfalls.
We have lost touch with the polarity of the earth because we wear foot coverings, shoes, boots, flip flops, etc and abodes with floors not composed of packed earth**. All of those modern conveniences sever us from the earth’s flow of Protons positive charge and Electrons negative charge or Ions. Negative Ions are beneficial to life. They are Oxygen rich and most of us know that they clean the air of dander, dust, and pollen particles, though they have many more benefits. I use an negative Ion generator in my home.
When we pot plants or start and grow plants in pots, they lose that negative earth contact that they need. I ground my pots with copper wire ran off a main ground line to a ground rod. Plants seem to do very well grounded to our mother.
I have been in some pretty dramatic and dangerous Monsoon season downpours. One near Albuquerque closed I-40. I would have ran into the mud and rock flow covering the interstate if it hadn’t been for a very brave State trooper standing in the middle of the freeway flagging traffic to a stop. I almost ran over him. And that wasn’t the only overflow heading west that day on I-40.
Another time I left I-40 and headed up to The Pecos National Historic Park*** and near the village of Villenueva I was stopped when a flood of mud and rock burst from the bank and quickly piled up on the road to about 10-ft. high. Soon locals arrived with tractors and dump trucks to clear that mess and several more as I headed north. Apparently a common situation for them.
On I-10 south of Tucson I witnessed RV trailers and camping gear being washed down to the freeway. I grabbed a rope and tied a slip loop and prepared to throw it to anybody caught in that maelstrom, though doubtful anyone could survive in that torrent of debris and mud. The low bridge shook from the power of that hellish flow.
Utah has hundreds of unnamed slot canyons besides the famous ones, I once saw one of those go from dry to over 20-ft deep in less than a minute.
** I go barefoot when I can and keep a soapy bucket with a little bleach or just a rag with white vinegar by the back door to clean my feet before entering the house with sandals. The house floor is actually more problematic than any ground. I don’t walk around the house in bare feet.
***It is unfortunate that so many people only go to the Southwests major ‘First Persons’ historic sites. My all time favorite sites are Pecos National Historic Park in New Mexico near Santa Fe, and the fascinating Walnut Canyon National Monument in Arizona is near Flagstaff. Both are not far off of I-40 with Walnut Canyon National Monument being very close to I-40. If you go, make sure you do the Island Trail. Caution, a lot of steps to climb back up nearly 200-ft. to the Visitors Center and parking lot. Walnut Creek lies at the bottom of the 600-ft.deep canyon and is part of the Grand Canyon, Colorado River drainage.
Really great photo capture of the Lizard.
Great info. I know about grounding but sadly have let my feet get soft. Flash floods can be terrifying, I speak from personal experience. Walnut Creek is awesome. Haven’t done Pecos.
Great post and I did try to look at the 4th July video – one day maybe we will get enough speed to watch (sigh).
Interesting info here as well as great photos. well done. Cheers and hugs Diane
Thanks. I know you can’t get to the videos.
Aren’t clouds just amazing in their diversity and offerings?? Love that pink dome of a rainbow. We’ve had consistent storms in our travels this year with wonderful energy. Humidity is tiring but wow my skin loves it :-))))
Thanks. I LOVE clouds! Not so good at handling humidity anymore. But what you’re seeing is beautiful.
I love storms. I sit on the back porch just experiencing it. They make me giddy and the cool temperatures are a bonus.
Delightful and interesting read. Lovely pics. I’m imagining the rain and the clean sweet smell of our natural world after the storms. Awww Miss Sierra. If I could get time off work I’d apply for your StayCATion. We’d have a CATtastic time watching wildlife out the window! But sad to say I’ve already claimed two weeks recently so not in my reach for September. Maybe another time. Take care!!
Thanks. Monsoon is the best season. Well next to Fall anyway. Sierra wishes you could come too.
That sounds perfect.
From near to far, you captured close-up critters which I so love (reminding me of lion’s king on Pride Rock, AND to perfect example to me, of white mammatus clouds hanging onto huge darkness:) With the discussion of positive and negative energies, what is in play with some people living with much earth commotion, rain…who feel down which is written to discuss those effects with less Sun. Might it be the “too much of a (seeming) good thing” or backfire. Having so much Arizona sun, I’m not alone wanting darker and dirty, but growing up in OR, I bet parents would’ve liked more sun. Why we moved here! Thank you Gaelyn. ps. Darn it I’m very allergic to cats, and shedding dogs.
Thanks. I didn’t always like storms, but now I embrace them. Yet lack of sunshine brings me down. Guess we’re never entirely happy with what we have. Sierra couldn’t handle Sandee Mae anyway. But thanks for at least thinking about it.
Maryruth’s husband has a grounding book, using some kind of electric pad. Keeps trying to convince me that it will cure everything. I would much rather travel to Arizona during monsoon season, but that isn’t gonna happen, sadly. One of my favorite books by Barbara Kingsolver was an earlier one called “Animal Dreams”. She wrote about Tucson heat and monsoons in a way that made me feel like I was there. I read it during a dreary snowy winter in Northern Idaho long ago. Lack of sunshine and dark gray skies get me down as well, but only when they are those gray sodden featureless skies of the northwest, not the wild storms of the midwest and Arizona. Even northern Idaho had thunderstorms. We get them here so very rarely, and I miss them, but sadly when we get them it is during fire season and the smoke comes next. So far so good. Who knows what late July will bring.
Grounding can happen by more than a barefoot walk on the earth. Although I’d think that little patch of grass you have would be perfect. I loved that Kingsolver book, and most of her others too. In the PNW rain is just gray. I need real storms to feel that energy I grew up with in IL. You don’t need any more fires.
Sounds like some excitement for you in the offing — hope Sierra finds a good companion ;). You are a good teacher — I enjoyed reading and learning from this post (and no, I did *not* already know any of this.) Thanks
I do like a good storm.