The southwestern monsoon is one of the things I absolutely love about living in the Albuquerque area. It’s almost like a switch is flipped in early July: the upper level winds die down and gain a southerly component, and subtropical moisture is pumped up into Arizona and New Mexico giving way to convection and some the most amazing lightning displays. Storms are so high-based, that the entire channel of every cloud to ground strike remains visible. It seems like the earlier storms of the season produce the best lightning displays, due to the cooler temperatures aloft and ease of graupel or hail production which helps build the potential for a strike.
These pictures were taken back in July around the Albuquerque area. I was actually quite disappointed when I had this roll of film processed. Regarding the lightning shots, it was quickly apparent that I was shooting with too wide of a lens. I was worried about catching a good foreground with the city lights, but a longer lens would have reduced some of the apparent distance between myself and the main subject (the lightning).
I also caught a quick glimpse of a pileus feature at the top of a cumulonimbus with some faint crepuscular rays extending from the top of the cloud.
Mammatus clouds are rarely seen around the desert southwest, but occasionally a hint of some texture will develop on the under-side of the anvil like in the photo below.
