September 12th, 2022: The remnants of Hurricane Kay injected new life to the monsoon by funneling up hordes of tropical moisture. Many strong thunderstorms impacted Arizona, including the Grand Canyon, and some dropped a blanket of hail (which almost looked like a coating of snow). I was able to see beautiful thunderstorm development on the drive to the national park, and the South Rim provided a great vantage point to view distant storms at sunset. Evening light illuminated deep storm clouds and briefly cast stunning warmth onto the canyon walls. The lightning show added even more splendor.
From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: “Forecast to make the closest pass to Southern California, Kay brought damaging winds and heavy rains that drenched Mexican coastal states from Oaxaca to Nayarit causing property damage, flooding, mudslides, and three deaths in Guerrero. The storm’s outer bands also hit Southern California and southwestern Arizona, bringing wind gusts of near 100 mph to some areas, primarily in San Diego County, California, as well as heavy rainfall that caused some flash flooding that damaged roads, and power outages in both states. As Kay weakened over land, remnants of the storm reportedly caused localized, heavy damage in Death Valley National Park including road closures due to flooding that left visitors stranded in their vehicles. Rangers even reported “waterfalls” cascading through the park as well as mudflows.”
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