Monsoon season is definitely here!
We had a nice electrical storm last night. It took me a while to fall asleep as we had lightning and thunder show for a while after I went to bed. That was fun to watch.
We also had accompanying downpours to go along with it. This is most welcome as the Gallup/Jamestown area is a bit parched from the ongoing drought. I am sure my trees like it!
According to the National Weather Service, the weekend looks like this:
Overnight
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| Above, the crabapple tree two days ago. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
It appears that we are in a cooling trend with the possibility of isolated thunderstorms in the Gallup/Jamestown vicinity. It did sprinkle a little bit yesterday afternoon. It lasted only a few minutes.
According to the National Weather Service, the next few days look like this:
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| Above, the crabapple tree is blooming. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
It looks like we may be getting some precipitation this coming week, starting tomorrow and Monday with a dry storm. A dry storm is a thunderstorm that produces less than 0.1" of rain. This is according to the McKinley County of Emergency Management.
It won't be long when we'll be in monsoon season.
According to the National Weather Service, the week is shaping up as follows:
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| Above, from yesterday's Jeep drive looking west. |
It was a short one as I saw storm clouds moving into the area. So I decided to head back home.
It was a good thing I did. About two hours after heading home, we were treated to a big lightning display. The lightning seemed predominantly to the north of our subdivision in the vicinity of Six Mile Canyon Road and Interstate 40.
While relaxing on the sofa and looking out the front door's storm door, I was able to see the lightning bolts. It was a great display.
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| Above, a July rain from 2021. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
The gnat situation has subsided a bit.
That (and bug repellant) allowed me to go out last evening and this morning to water the trees and plants out in the yard. They needed it. It hasn't rained here for about three weeks. It's going to be near 90° today.
According to the National Weather Service, this week will be a dry one. However, there's a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms this coming Saturday. Hopefully, it does. We can sure use it. After all, we're now in monsoon season.
Their forecast:
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| Above, the surge protector plugged into the power outlet at this campsite. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
As I was equipping my motorhome after buying it, one of the things I bought was a surge protector. Since the southwest (where I live) has many thunderstorms during the summer monsoon season, I am glad I bought one. The surge protector protects the RV's electronics from lightning strikes. I have had no issue with power surges since I bought it.
Do It Yourself RV has posted an article with reasons why one needs a surge protector.
They begin it with:
Surge protectors are essential for your RV. They are designed to protect your RV from any sudden power surge that may occur while on the road. This article will outline the benefits of installing an RV surge protector and explain why it’s worth the investment.
WHAT IS AN RV SURGE PROTECTOR?
A surge protector helps protect your RV and its components from power surges and other forms of electrical damage. In addition to the obvious protection from power surges, an RV surge protector also helps protect your RV from other electrical issues such as brownouts, improper wiring, and incorrect voltage.
- Protects your RV from voltage spikes and surges
- Automatically shuts off power in the case of an overload
- Universal compatibility with all RV power sources
To read more, go here.
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| Above, the field after mowing. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
I was almost halfway done when I spotted a lightning bolt to the south. It must have been a half mile (or less) away. That was my cue to stop the mowing and to get the mower and Jeep into the garage.
Yesterday, I finished mowing in the morning. It was a good thing I did finish it when I did as we had more lightning and downpours in the afternoon.
During this, I spent part of the afternoon watching movies, one of which was Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003) that starred Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn and Tim Robbins.
We're supposed to get more thunderstorms in the afternoon today. Many are wondering if we are having an early monsoon season. Last year was dry at this time until the first monsoon rain that arrived on July 18. We've had a lot of precipitation in the area since then. It looks like this will be a wet year.
According to the National Weather Service, today and tonight in Jamestown will look like this:
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| Above, approaching storm clouds. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
I was about half way through the mowing when I spotted a bolt of lightning to the south about a quarter to a half mile away. That did it. I proceeded to put the mower and Jeep into the garage.
It was a good thing I put everything away when I did. Right after doing so, it started raining.
I will probably finish mowing today or tomorrow, provided the ground isn't muddy.
The area is starting to really "green up" from the rains we've been getting.
Lightning and mowing is definitely not a good mix!
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| Above, the map of the affected area by the McKinley County Office of Emergency Management. |
Last evening's thunderstorm that produced flash floods in McKinley County, particularly at Milepost 33 of Interstate 40, has cleared out.
The Interstate was reopened last evening.
I have to go into Gallup today for some grocery shopping and I am curious at what the Fort Wingate/McGaffey interchange looks like today. I am sure the frontage road (Route 66) is still a mess and remains closed.
That was one heck of a thunderstorm. Rain came down in Jamestown, but it didn't seem too heavy. But the lightning display was entertaining (at least to me).
This monsoon season will likely go into the record books.
One of my phone's apps said we were supposed to get a big thunderstorm overnight last night with "penny-sized" hail. Well, it didn't happen (at least not yet).
But the week's heavy rains are expected to start this afternoon. At least that's according to the National Weather Service. That will be the case throughout the Four Corners region. Maybe that's too much of good thing?
Their forecast or today and tomorrow:
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| Above, the Jeep just before moving it into the garage. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
As I put the Jeep into the garage this evening, some raindrops were on its windshield. That was roughly the extent of the "thunderstorms" that were to arrive in the area.
There were plenty of clouds, but no rain, as the above photo shows.
According to reports, this was part of a monsoonal weather pattern. It was likely not humid enough for any real rain (unless some comes overnight).
According to a weather app on my phone, the nearest occurrence of lightning was ten miles away.
The National Weather Service forecast the next possibility of rain and thunderstorms will come on Friday and Saturday.
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| Above, lightning storm clouds near Route 66 RV Resort in Albuquerque. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Since I bought The Beast seven years ago, I have experienced lightning storms while camping in it. Most notably, Route 66 RV Resort in Albuquerque and Trailer Village RV Park in Roswell (remember, a lightning storm allegedly downed a UFO there in 1947).
The question of whether an RV is a safe place to be in during a lightning storm is the subject of a new article in RV Life.
They begin it with:
Many of us have heard the advice that a car is a safe place to hide out during a lightning storm. But is the same thing true for RVs? Are these vehicles truly safe havens from lightning, or are they more dangerous than being outside? These are all fair questions, and it’s important for RVers to follow some proper lightning safety tips.
To answer the main question: You are safe from lighting in your RV if it has an outer layer of metal. If lightning strikes this surface, it will deflect harmlessly away and will not hurt the people inside. If you are in an RV that is mainly made of fiberglass and wood, you would be safer inside your tow vehicle. These RVs will be more severely damaged by lightning strikes and could catch fire.
To read further on, go here.
If anyone around here thought they would get a good night's sleep tonight, they were mistaken.
The storm rolled in and we're getting a mix of rain, lightning, high winds and snow.
I just took these photos a few minutes ago:
Last night's sleep was interrupted by a thunderstorm around 12:30.
It must have lasted around 45 minutes or so. I ended up staying awake for almost 2 hours before going back to bed. Much of it was directly overhead.
During the time, it rained hard.
That's the first time in a long time thunder woke me up.
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| Above, last evening's downpour. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Last evening, we had one of the most intense monsoon thunderstorms since I've lived here.
The lightning was directly overhead at times and the thunder shook the house, unnerving my cat Sierra. It was quite a display. I was very much entertained.
The downpour from the storm was welcome as the area had been parched. But it caused some flooding problems on Historic Route 66 and Interstate 40 near milepost 33 near Iyanbito. We're at milepost 39.
According to one resident of our community, her rain gauge showed two inches of rain. I guessed before seeing it that we got 2" last evening.
The downpour got frogs or toads out and some here were doing some frogging. One resident joked, "It might be that a few rattlers got washed out of their normally dry holes and they are making frog sounds just to lure you in close." Actually, I didn't know we even had frogs or toads here.
Anyway, I think we made up for the dry months we had here this year. The area should be greening up pretty soon!
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| Above, monoon clouds coming in from the south this evening. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
We're now in monsoon season in Jamestown, New Mexico.
Thus far, there's been no measurable precipitation here. I felt and saw some raindrops this afternoon on the deck, but they evaporated within minutes.
We may get some thundershowers this evening before midnight. The cloud cover is thick toward the south and west. I have been receiving some lightning alerts today, which means lightning activity has been detected within 10 miles of Jamestown.
Hopefully, we'll get a few good downpours. We sure can use the water as it's bone-dry here.
According to the National Weather Service, here how the coming week shapes up:
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| Above, Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Smoke from the Lone Star Fire, ignited this weekend by lightning in Yellowstone National Park, has closed the Grand Loop Road to traffic.
The fire was reported around 5:15 p.m. Saturday about 3 miles south of Old Faithful geyser. It’s estimated at 300 acres and at this time is not burning directly toward the complex of buildings at Old Faithful.
Park Service staffers are implementing protection measures for the Old Faithful area in case the fire moves that way, and resources have been ordered, according to a release sent Sunday morning by the park’s public communications department.
The Grand Loop Road is closed between Kepler Cascades and West Thumb. The Lone Star Geyser trail is closed as well, along with backcountry campsites OA1, OA2 and OA3. The road between Canyon and Tower Junction is also closed this season.
Lightning has been prevalent throughout the park this week, and fire danger is very high. Campfires are not allowed in the backcountry.To read more, go here.
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| Above, yesterday in the rain. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
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| Above, The Beast at Route 66 RV Resort the following morning. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
