Monsoon Storms over CO and NM, Early to mid-July, 2014

by John Farley


The North American Monsoon was quite active across southern Colorado and northern New Mexico during early and mid-July. This offered nearly daily opportunities to photograph lightning, rainbows, and/or photogenic storms. Below are some of my favorite catches from this rather active early-monsoon period:


July 1

Cloud-to-ground lightning over Santa Fe, NM


July 3

Rainbow and crepuscular rays near Rowe, NM

Cloud-to-cloud lightning near Lamy, NM


July 11

Cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning near Pagosa Springs, CO

Double rainbow and lightning, Pagosa Springs, CO


July 12

Time to get off Village Lake! (Near Pagosa Springs, CO)

Looped cloud-to-ground lightning, Pagosa Springs, CO


July 14

Distant nighttime storm, looking east from Pagosa Springs, CO


July 15

Cloud-to-cloud lightning, looking north from Santa Fe, NM. This storm caused major flash flooding near Pojoaque and La Puebla, NM.


July 16

Strong storm developing near Los Alamos, NM. The scud was rising into the storm almost from the ground on the east slopes of the Jemez Mountains.

Same storm a few minutes later; briefly took on supercell characteristics.


July 17

All I had to take a picture with when I saw this supercell storm looking north from Espanola was a phone. But note the wall cloud under the updraft (above the gray car ahead one lane to my left). This storm produced flash flooding near La Madera, NM.


Return to 2014 Severe Weather Observation page