My September 2024 Photo of the Month is LM809, taken during a monsoonal storm in San Diego County’s Laguna Mountains.
LM809 Background
Finally, some monsoon action. It had been a light season for afternoon storms in East County, and I was unavailable for one particular good cell. But, earlier this month, everything aligned quite nicely. I did this trip with friend and reader Alexander S. Kunz. We got everything from moderate to heavy rain on Interstate 8 outside of Alpine, to interesting cloud formations at Stephenson Point, and I finally suggested we do the quick hike to Foster Point.
The viewpoint never disappoints, and we stayed for a couple hours. It was easily 20 degrees cooler than back home, with a light breeze, and beautiful cloud forming, that was only interrupted by a storm of bugs that would not stop getting in the way. But it was okay to put up with those while we spent the time watch shadows, clouds, and weather change. In this particular image, you can see earlier monsoon clouds that formed earlier and were somewhat flattened out. But in the distance, behind Garnet Peak and Granite Mountain, super-heated air from the Borrego basin formed updrafts that were creating another storm cell.
We watched this cell develop from nothing visible, building a large stack, and then finally be broken up by upper atmosphere wind shear. It was beautiful to watch, and having some cursory weather knowledge allowed us to understand what was happening.
This was a good departure from my Coastal photographs, but with the Autumn marine layer season coming soon, I may find myself back there in October.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the image.
Further Viewing
Photos of the Month Portfolio Archive
T.M. Schultze Fine Art America Print-On-Demand Store
T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.